Emerging investigator series: chemical and physical properties of organic mixtures on indoor surfaces during HOMEChem

O’Brien, Rachel E.; Li, Ying; Kiland, Kristian J.; Katz, Erin F.; Or, Victor W.; Legaard, Emily; Walhout, Emma Q.; Thrasher, Corey; Grassian, Vicki H.; DeCarlo, P. F.; Bertram, Allan K.; Shiraiwa, Manabu

doi:10.1039/d1em00060h

Cited by 22 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…Decreasing median C* by nearly an order of magnitude during Thanksgiving compared to background levels has strong implications toward the propensity of indoor VOCs to partition to condensed phases, and thus, their eventual fates and lifetimes indoors. We speculate that lower-volatility Thanksgiving emissions enhanced organic grime layers/films on indoor surfaces relative to other experimental periods …”

Section: Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…We speculate that lower-volatility Thanksgiving emissions en-hanced organic grime layers/films on indoor surfaces relative to other experimental periods. 47 Results in Figure 4a,b show the chemical complexity of Thanksgiving VOC emissions compared to stir-frying. The indoor air composition during Thanksgiving was drastically altered by a multitude of VOCs spanning a wide range of volatilities (log 10 C* = 2−11+) and carbon numbers (nC = 1− 10).…”

Section: ■ Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Contrasting Chemical Complexity and the Reactive Organic Carbon Budget of Indoor and Outdoor Air

Mattila

Arata

Abeleira

et al. 2021

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Reactive organic carbon (ROC) comprises a substantial fraction of the total atmospheric carbon budget. Emissions of ROC fuel atmospheric oxidation chemistry to produce secondary pollutants including ozone, carbon dioxide, and particulate matter. Compared to the outdoor atmosphere, the indoor organic carbon budget is comparatively understudied. We characterized indoor ROC in a test house during unoccupied, cooking, and cleaning scenarios using various online mass spectrometry and gas chromatography measurements of gaseous and particulate organics. Cooking greatly impacted indoor ROC concentrations and bulk physicochemical properties (e.g., volatility and oxidation state), while cleaning yielded relatively insubstantial changes. Additionally, cooking enhanced the reactivities of hydroxyl radicals and ozone toward indoor ROC. We observed consistently higher median ROC concentrations indoors (≥223 μg C m–3) compared to outdoors (54 μg C m–3), demonstrating that buildings can be a net source of reactive carbon to the outdoor atmosphere, following its removal by ventilation. We estimate the unoccupied test house emitted 0.7 g C day–1 from ROC to outdoors. Indoor ROC emissions may thus play an important role in air quality and secondary pollutant formation outdoors, particularly in urban and suburban areas, and indoors during the use of oxidant-generating air purifiers.

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Section: Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Section: ■ Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contrasting Chemical Complexity and the Reactive Organic Carbon Budget of Indoor and Outdoor Air

Mattila

Arata

Abeleira

et al. 2021

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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“…The particles from the stir-fry event correspond with NaNA, with most prevalent vibrational modes around 1570, 1560 and 1460, 1450 cm –1 corresponding to ν as (COO – ) and ν s (COO – ), respectively. O’Brien et al found that in material extracted from HOMEChem glass samples, CC bonds were still present and susceptible to further oxidation . These moieties are expected around 1650 cm –1 and subsequently would spectrally overlap with the carboxylate modes observed.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nanoscopic Study of Water Uptake on Glass Surfaces with Organic Thin Films and Particles from Exposure to Indoor Cooking Activities: Comparison to Model Systems

Alves

Wade

et al. 2022

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Water uptake by thin organic films and organic particles on glass substrates at 80% relative humidity was investigated using atomic force microscopy-infrared (AFM-IR) spectroscopy. Glass surfaces exposed to kitchen cooking activities show a wide variability of coverages from organic particles and organic thin films. Water uptake, as measured by changes in the volume of the films and particles, was also quite variable. A comparison of glass surfaces exposed to kitchen activities to model systems shows that they can be largely represented by oxidized oleic acid and carboxylate groups on long and medium hydrocarbon chains (i.e., fatty acids). Overall, we demonstrate that organic particles and thin films that cover glass surfaces can take up water under indoor-relevant conditions but that the water content is not uniform. The spatial heterogeneity of the changes in these aged glass surfaces under dry (5%) and wet (80%) conditions is quite marked, highlighting the need for studies at the nano-and microscale.

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“…Organic films and particles containing unsaturated lipids are ubiquitous indoors. − Examples include human skin oil films and cooking oil films and particles. − Human skin oil films are ubiquitous on indoor occupants and also form when occupants touch indoor surfaces. Skin oil is mainly produced by the sebaceous gland, serving as a natural protector against microorganisms and helping to retain water in the human body .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The typical thickness of skin oil films can range from less than 0.5 μm in sebum-poor extremities to greater than 4 μm in sebum-rich areas . Cooking oil films are formed by spillage or splashing during food preparation and deposition of aerosol particles formed during cooking. , As a result of these various processes, cooking oil deposits are variable in their spatial extent, ranging from individual particles to continuous films with typical thicknesses in the micron-size range, depending on the deposition (collection) time …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Possible Effects of Ozone Chemistry on the Phase Behavior of Skin Oil and Cooking Oil Films and Particles Indoors

Mahrt

Gregson

et al. 2022

ACS Earth Space Chem.

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Heterogeneous reactions occurring between ozone and films or particles containing skin oil or cooking oil can be a sink of ozone and a source of organic compounds indoors with negative health effects. To predict this heterogeneous chemistry, information on the phase behavior (number and types of phases) within these films and particles, and its evolution during ozone exposure, is needed. In this work, we used optical microscopy to directly observe the phase behavior of proxies for skin oil and cooking oil particles (diameters of 110–220 μm) during exposure to O3. As a proxy for skin oil, we used a multicomponent mixture of unsaturated lipids. For cooking oil, we used a commercially available canola oil. We also studied single-component unsaturated lipids (squalene, triolein, and oleic acid) and jojoba oil (mostly unsaturated monoesters) as simpler proxies for skin oil and cooking oil. Prior to reactions with ozone, the particles were all liquid. Exposure to ozone led to the formation of a new phase within the particles. For oleic acid, the new phase was most likely a high-molecular-weight liquid formed by liquid–liquid phase separation. For all other systems, the new phase was likely solid or semi-solid. Our results, together with the resistor model and the reaction extent, were then used to predict the time it takes for a new phase to form in skin oil and cooking oil films indoors. Based on our results, we predict that a new phase will form in skin oil films with a thickness of 0.1–1 μm after a timescale of 3 h to 7 days under typical indoor ozone concentrations (6 ppb) and relative humidity (RH) conditions ranging from 5 to 65%. In cooking oil films, we predict that a new phase will form after 1.5–16 h for films of 0.1–1 μm thickness under ozone concentrations of 6 ppb and RH conditions ranging from 5 to 65%. A new phase will likely impact diffusion rates and partitioning coefficients within the films and hence ozone loss rates indoors, production rates of respiratory irritants, and partitioning of these irritants between films, particles, and the gas phase.

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Emerging investigator series: chemical and physical properties of organic mixtures on indoor surfaces during HOMEChem

Abstract: Organic films on indoor surfaces serve as a medium for reactions and for partitioning of semi-volatile organic compounds and thus play an important role in indoor chemistry. However, the chemical...

Cited by 22 publications

References 69 publications

Contrasting Chemical Complexity and the Reactive Organic Carbon Budget of Indoor and Outdoor Air

Contrasting Chemical Complexity and the Reactive Organic Carbon Budget of Indoor and Outdoor Air

Nanoscopic Study of Water Uptake on Glass Surfaces with Organic Thin Films and Particles from Exposure to Indoor Cooking Activities: Comparison to Model Systems

Possible Effects of Ozone Chemistry on the Phase Behavior of Skin Oil and Cooking Oil Films and Particles Indoors

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