We have examined aqueous-phase secondary organic aerosol (SOA) and organosulfate (OS) formation in atmospheric aerosols using a photochemical box model with coupled gas-phase chemistry and detailed aqueous aerosol chemistry. SOA formation in deliquesced ammonium sulfate aerosol is highest under low-NO(x) conditions, with acidic aerosol (pH = 1) and low ambient relative humidity (40%). Under these conditions, with an initial sulfate loading of 4.0 μg m(-3), 0.9 μg m(-3) SOA is predicted after 12 h. Low-NO(x) aqueous-aerosol SOA (aaSOA) and OS formation is dominated by isoprene-derived epoxydiol (IEPOX) pathways; 69% or more of aaSOA is composed of IEPOX, 2-methyltetrol, and 2-methyltetrol sulfate ester. 2-Methyltetrol sulfate ester comprises >99% of OS mass (66 ng m(-3) at 40% RH and pH 1). In urban (high-NO(x)) environments, aaSOA is primarily formed via reversible glyoxal uptake, with 0.12 μg m(-3) formed after 12 h at 80% RH, with 20 μg m(-3) initial sulfate. OS formation under all conditions studied is maximum at low pH and lower relative humidities (<60% RH), i.e., when the aerosol is more concentrated. Therefore, OS species are expected to be good tracer compounds for aqueous aerosol-phase chemistry (vs cloudwater processing).

Abstract. Volatility and hygroscopicity are two key properties of organic aerosol components, and both are strongly related to chemical identity. While the hygroscopicities of pure salts, di-carboxylic acids (DCA), and DCA salts are known, the hygroscopicity of internal mixtures of these components, as they are typically found in the atmosphere, has not been fully characterized. Here we show that inorganicorganic component interactions typically not considered in atmospheric models can lead to very strongly bound metalorganic complexes and greatly affect aerosol volatility and hygroscopicity; in particular, the bi-dentate binding of DCA to soluble inorganic ions. We have studied the volatility of pure, dry organic salt particles and the hygroscopicity of internal mixtures of oxalic acid (OxA, the dominant DCA in the atmosphere) and a number of salts, both mono-and divalent. The formation of very low volatility organic salts was confirmed, with minimal evaporation of oxalate salt particles below 75 • C. Dramatic increases in the cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) activation diameter for particles with di-valent salts (e.g., CaCl 2 ) and relatively small particle volume fractions of OxA indicate that standard volume additivity rules for hygroscopicity do not apply. Thus small organic compounds with high O : C ratios are capable of forming lowvolatility and very low hygroscopicity particles. Given current knowledge of the formation mechanisms of OxA and M-Ox salts, surface enrichment of insoluble M-Ox salts is expected. The resulting formation of an insoluble coating of metal-oxalate salts can explain low-particle hygroscopicities. The formation of particles with a hard coating could offer an alternative explanation for observations of glass-like particles without the need for a phase transition.

Abstract. There is increasing evidence that the uptake and aqueous processing of water-soluble volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by wet aerosols or cloud droplets is an important source of secondary organic aerosol (SOA). We recently developed GAMMA (Gas-Aerosol Model for Mechanism Analysis), a zero-dimensional kinetic model that couples gas-phase and detailed aqueous-phase atmospheric chemistry for speciated prediction of SOA and organosulfate formation in cloud water or aqueous aerosols. Results from GAMMA simulations of SOA formation in aerosol water (aaSOA) (McNeill et al., 2012) indicate that it is dominated by two pathways: isoprene epoxydiol (IEPOX) uptake followed by ring-opening chemistry (under low-NO x conditions) and glyoxal uptake. This suggested that it is possible to model the majority of aaSOA mass using a highly simplified reaction scheme. We have therefore developed a reduced version of GAMMA, simpleGAMMA. Close agreement in predicted aaSOA mass is observed between simpleGAMMA and GAMMA under all conditions tested (between pH 1-4 and RH 40-80 %) after 12 h of simulation. simpleGAMMA is computationally efficient and suitable for coupling with larger-scale atmospheric chemistry models or analyzing ambient measurement data.

Organic chemistry in aerosol water has recently been recognized as a potentially important source of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) material. This SOA material may be surface-active, therefore potentially affecting aerosol heterogeneous activity, ice nucleation, and CCN activity. Aqueous aerosol chemistry has also been shown to be a potential source of light-absorbing products ("brown carbon"). We present results on the formation of secondary organic aerosol material in aerosol water and the associated changes in aerosol physical properties from GAMMA (Gas-Aerosol Model for Mechanism Analysis), a photochemical box model with coupled gas and detailed aqueous aerosol chemistry. The detailed aerosol composition output from GAMMA was coupled with two recently developed modules for predicting a) aerosol surface tension and b) the UV-Vis absorption spectrum of the aerosol, based on our previous laboratory observations. The simulation results suggest that the formation of oligomers and organic acids in bulk aerosol water is unlikely to perturb aerosol surface tension significantly. Isoprene-derived organosulfates are formed in high concentrations in acidic aerosols under low-NO(x) conditions, but more experimental data are needed before the potential impact of these species on aerosol surface tension may be evaluated. Adsorption of surfactants from the gas phase may further suppress aerosol surface tension. Light absorption by aqueous aerosol SOA material is driven by dark glyoxal chemistry and is highest under high-NO(x) conditions, at high relative humidity, in the early morning hours. The wavelength dependence of the predicted absorption spectra is comparable to field observations and the predicted mass absorption efficiencies suggest that aqueous aerosol chemistry can be a significant source of aerosol brown carbon under urban conditions.

The reactive uptake of α-pinene oxide (αPO) to acidic sulfate aerosol was studied under humid conditions in order to gain insight into the effects of liquid–liquid phase separation on aerosol heterogeneous chemistry and to elucidate further the formation of secondary organic aerosol and organosulfates from epoxides. A continuous flow environmental chamber was used to monitor changes in diameter of monodisperse, deliquesced, acidic sulfate particles exposed to αPO at 25% and 50% RH (relative humidity). In order to induce phase separation and probe potential limits to particle growth from acidic uptake, αPO was introduced over a wide range of concentrations, from 200 ppb to 5 ppm. Uptake was observed to be highly dependent on initial aerosol pH. Significant uptake of αPO to aerosol was observed with initial pH < 0. When exposed to 200 ppb αPO, aerosol with pH = -0.5 showed 23% growth, and 6% volume growth was observed at pH = 0. Aerosol with pH = 1 showed no growth. The extreme acidity required for efficient αPO uptake suggests that this chemistry is typically not a major route to formation of aerosol mass or organosulfates in the atmosphere. Effective partition coefficients (K^{p, eff}) were in the range of (0.1–2) x 10^-4 m³μg^-1 and were correlated to initial particle acidity and particle organic content; particles with higher organic content had lower partition coefficients. Effective uptake coefficients (γ_eff) ranged from 0.1 to 1.1 x 10^-4 and are much lower than recently reported for uptake to bulk solutions. In experiments in which αPO was added to bulk H₂SO₄ solutions, phase separation was observed for mass loadings similar to those observed with particles, and product distributions were dependent on acid concentration. Liquid–liquid phase separation in bulk experiments, along with our observations of decreased uptake to particles with the largest growth factors, suggests an organic coating forms upon uptake to particles, limiting reactive uptake