Formation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Oxidation Products in α-Pinene Secondary Organic Aerosol Particles Formed through Ozonolysis

Accurate long-range atmospheric transport (LRAT) modeling of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and PAH oxidation products (PAH-OPs) in secondary organic aerosol (SOA) particles relies on the known chemical composition of the particles. Four PAHs, phenanthrene (PHE), dibenzothiophene (DBT), pyrene (PYR), and benz(a)anthracene (BaA), were studied individually to identify and quantify PAH-OPs produced and incorporated into SOA particles formed by ozonolysis of α-pinene in the presence of PAH vapor. SOA particles were characterized using real-time in situ instrumentation, and collected on quartz fiber filters for offline analysis of PAHs and PAH-OPs. PAH-OPs were measured in all PAH experiments at equal or greater concentrations than the individual PAHs they were produced from. The total mass of PAH and PAH-OPs, relative to the total SOA mass, varied for different experiments on individual parent PAHs: PHE and 6 quantified PHE-OPs (3.0%), DBT and dibenzothiophene sulfone (4.9%), PYR and 3 quantified PYR...