Low-molecular-weight dicarboxylic acids in an urban and rural atmosphere

Chemistry of oxalic, malonic, and succinic acid was studied at the two sires representing the urban and rural conditions, and at a site intermediate between these two. The investigation was based on the particle collection with a virtual impactor and a Berner low-pressure impactor. Concentrations of the three diacids displayed large seasonal amplitudes with low values in winter. Suggestive of common sources or atmospheric formation processes, the correlation between oxalic and malonic acid concentrations was high. Both the local traffic and secondary production in the long-range transported air masses seemed to be the important sources for these two acids. Contrary to oxalic and malonic acid, no enrichment at the urban site compared with the rural site was observed for succinic acid. The seasonal cycle of this acid resembled that of methanesulfonic acid. The most likely sources for succinic acid in our samples was the secondary production in the long-range transported air, with potentially significant contribution coming from biogenic sources. The three diacids had quite different distributions over the particulate phase. Oxalic acid had a dominant accumulation mode, a clear Aitken mode at sizes below about 0.15 mu m of particle diameter, and modes corresponding to the sea-salt and crustal particle size ranges. Most of the malonic acid was associated with sea-salt particles, even though in a few samples an accumulation mode was also present. Succinic acid was distributed between the accumulation and the sea-salt particle modes. in addition to which it frequently had quire a pronounced Aitken mode. Oxalic and succinic acids are among the organics that may contribute to the atmospheric cloud condensation nuclei production. Oxalic and malonic acid. and to a smaller extent succinic acid, participate in reactions occurring in sea-salt particles. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.