No abstract

h i g h l i g h t s 3H3M2B photolysis is the major oxidation channel in the atmosphere. Slight positive temperature dependence in the OH þ 3H3M2B reaction kinetics. Need for a better understanding of the atmospheric chemistry of oxygenated VOC. a b s t r a c t Hydroxycarbonyl compounds are important secondary reaction products in the oxidation of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in the atmosphere. The atmospheric fate of these oxygenated VOCs is however poorly understood, especially the relevance of the photolytic pathway. In this work, a combined investigation of the photolysis and temperature-dependent OH radical reaction of 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-2-butanone (3H3M2B) is presented. A photolysis lifetime of about 4e5 days was estimated with a global quantum yield of 0.10. The OH reaction rate coefficient follows the Arrhenius trend (298e356 K) and could be modelled through the following expression: k 3H3M2B (T) ¼ (5.12 ± 0.07) Â 10 À12 exp(À563 ± 119/ T) in cm 3 molecule À1 s À1 . A 3H3M2B atmospheric lifetime of 15 days towards the OH radical was evaluated. Our results showed that the photolysis pathway is the major degradation channel for 3H3M2B. Photolysis products were identified and quantified in the present work with a carbon balance of around 80% enabling a reaction mechanism to be proposed. The present work underlines the need for further studies on the atmospheric chemistry of oxygenated VOCs.

Hydroxyketones are key secondary reaction products in the atmospheric oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The fate of these oxygenated VOCs is however poorly understood and scarcely taken into account in atmospheric chemistry modeling. In this work, a combined investigation of the photolysis and temperature-dependent OH radical reaction of 4-hydroxy-2-butanone (4H2B) is presented. The objective was to evaluate the importance of the photolysis process relative to OH oxidation in the atmospheric degradation of 4H2B. A photolysis lifetime of about 26 days was estimated with an effective quantum yield of 0.08. For the first time, the occurrence of a Norrish II mechanism was hypothesized following the observation of acetone among photolysis products. The OH reaction rate coefficient follows the Arrhenius trend (280-358 K) and could be modeled through the following expression: k4H2B(T) = (1.26 ± 0.40) × 10(-12) × exp((398 ± 87)/T) in cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1). An atmospheric lifetime of 2.4 days regarding the OH + 4H2B reaction was evaluated, indicating that OH oxidation is by far the major degradation channel. The present work underlines the need for further studies on the atmospheric fate of oxygenated VOCs.