Synergetic effects of NH3 and NOx on the production and optical absorption of secondary organic aerosol formation from toluene photooxidation

NH3 is the most important alkaline gas in the atmosphere and one of the key species affecting the behaviors of atmospheric aerosols. However, the impact of NH3 on secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation remains poorly understood, especially the dynamic evolution of chemical compositions in the SOA formation process. In this study, a series of chamber experiments were performed to probe the individual and common effects of NH3 and NOx on toluene SOA formation through OH photooxidation. The chemical compositions of toluene SOA were characterized using the Aerodyne high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS). The SOA yield increased from 28.1 % in the absence of NH3 to 34.7 % in the presence of NH3 but decreased to 19.5 % in the presence of NOx. However, the highest SOA yield of 42.7 % and the lowest carbon oxidation state (OSc) occurred in the presence of both NH3 and NOx, indicating that the higher-volatility products that formed in the presence of NOx could partition into the particle phase when NH3 was added. This resulted in a synergetic effect on SOA formation when NH3 and NOx co-existed. The heterogeneous reaction was the main pathway by which NH3 participated in SOA formation in the photooxidation process. The synergetic effect of NH3 and NOx was also observed in SOA optical absorption. A peak at 280 nm, which is characteristic of organonitrogen imidazole compounds, was observed in the presence of NH3, and its intensity increased when NOx was added into the chamber. This work improves our under- standing of how the synergistic interactions between NH3 and NOx influence SOA formation and offers new insights into mitigating haze pollution.

Automated summary

NH3 and NOx have significant synergistic effects on SOA formation during photooxidation, with NH3 mainly participating in SOA formation through heterogeneous reactions, and showing synergistic effects with NOx in the presence of both gases.