Heterogeneous kinetics, products, and mechanisms of ferulic acid particles in the reaction with NO3 radicals

Abstract Methoxyphenols, as an important component of wood burning, are produced by lignin pyrolysis and considered to be the potential tracers for wood smoke emissions. In this work, the heterogeneous reaction between ferulic acid particles and NO 3 radicals was investigated. Six products including oxalic acid, 4-vinylguaiacol, vanillin, 5-nitrovanillin, 5-nitroferulic acid, and caffeic acid were confirmed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In addition, the reaction mechanisms were proposed and the main pathways were NO 3 electrophilic addition to olefin and the meta -position to the hydroxyl group. The uptake coefficient of NO 3 radicals on ferulic acid particles was 0.17 ± 0.02 and the effective rate constant under experimental conditions was (1.71 ± 0.08) × 10 −12  cm 3 molecule −1 s −1 . The results indicate that ferulic acid degradation by NO 3 can be an important sink at night.