Volatility of Secondary Organic Aerosol from ß-Caryophyllene Ozonolysis over a Wide Tropospheric Temperature Range

We investigated secondary organic aerosol (SOA) from ss-caryophyllene oxidation generated over a wide tropospheric temperature range (213-313 K) from ozonolysis. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) was used to deconvolute the desorption data (thermograms) of SOA products detected by a chemical ionization mass spectrometer (FIGAERO-CIMS). A nonmonotonic dependence of particle volatility (saturation concentration at 298 K, C-298K(*)) on formation temperature (213-313 K) was observed, primarily due to temperature-dependent formation pathways of ss-caryophyllene oxidation products. The PMF analysis grouped detected ions into 11 compound groups (factors) with characteristic volatility. These compound groups act as indicators for the underlying SOA formation mechanisms. Their different temperature responses revealed that the relevant chemical pathways (e.g., autoxidation, oligomer formation, and isomer formation) had distinct optimal temperatures between 213 and 313 K, significantly beyond the effect of temperature-dependent partitioning. Furthermore, PMF-resolved volatility groups were compared with volatility basis set (VBS) distributions based on different vapor pressure estimation methods. The variation of the volatilities predicted by different methods is affected by highly oxygenated molecules, isomers, and thermal decomposition of oligomers with long carbon chains. This work distinguishes multiple isomers and identifies compound groups of varying volatilities, providing new insights into the temperature-dependent formation mechanisms of ss-caryophyllene-derived SOA particles.

Automated summary

We investigated the secondary organic aerosol (SOA) generated from the ozonolysis of β-caryophyllene over a wide range of temperatures (213-313 K) and found a nonmonotonic dependence of particle volatility on formation temperature, primarily due to temperature-dependent formation pathways of β-caryophyllene oxidation products. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) was used to deconvolute the detected SOA products and revealed different compound groups with varying volatilities, providing new insights into the temperature-dependent formation mechanisms of β-caryophyllene-derived SOA particles.