Chemical Characterization of Water-Soluble Organic Aerosols at Jeju Island Collected During ACE-Asia

During the Asia-Pacific Regional Aerosol Characterization Experiment (ACE-Asia) intensive field campaign, aerosol samples of less than 2.5 mu m diameter were collected at Jeju Island South Korea, for chemical characterization of the water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) Fraction. The WSOC Fraction had an average mass concentration Of roughly half Of that Of Sulfate and accounted for about two-thirds of the organic carbon mass. Thirty individual water-soluble organic compounds, belonging to the classes of mono- and di-carboxylic acids, aliphatic amines. and amino acids, were identified, accounting for 14% of the WSOC oil a carbon basis. Oxalic acid was the most abundant single component. An additional 3% of the WSOC was estimated to be monomeric carbohydrates. Thermal analysis of the aerosol's water extracts indicated that a significant fraction (similar to 50%) of WSOC was thermally recalcitrant, possibly consisting of polymeric materials.