Gas Phase and Heterogeneous Tropospheric Chemistry

9702791安迪诺 该项目将作为NSF职业计划的一部分进行。 该科学计划侧重于两个领域：1）羟基自由基与含氧有机化合物（例如，饱和醇和醚）;和2）在氯化物、硝酸盐或硫酸盐颗粒存在下羟基自由基与四种低分子量烃（甲烷、正丁烷、正壬烷和叔丁醇）的动力学的非均相研究。 该研究将利用玻璃封闭的光化学反应室以及傅里叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）和气相色谱-串联质谱（GC-MS/MS）的组合来测量反应室内的化学反应物和产物。 将进行补充从头计算，以确定可能的反应途径。 这些气相和非均相研究将通过提供关于含氧有机化合物的光化学和气体-颗粒对反应动力学的影响的基本信息来提高城市空气质量模型的准确性。 对于教育计划，调查员将通过在课堂环境中纳入建模活动来改进大气化学的教学方法。 PI计划开发的环境工程课程集中在解决问题的各个方面，包括：理解问题，描述其组成部分，提出解决方案（S），并执行解决方案。此外，PI还概述了一项招聘计划，以吸引和留住环境科学与工程领域代表性不足的学生。

9702791 Andino The project will be conducted as part of the NSF CAREER Program. The science plan is focused on two areas: 1) gas-phase studies (including reaction kinetics and product determinations) of the hydroxyl radical reactions with oxygenated organic compounds (e.g., saturated alcohols and ethers); and 2) heterogeneous studies of the kinetics of the hydroxyl radical with four low molecular weight hydrocarbons (methane, n-butane, n-nonane and tert-butyl alcohol) in the presence of chloride, nitrate, or sulfate particles. This research will utilize a glass-enclosed photochemical reaction chamber and a combination of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) for measurements of the chemical reactants and products within the chamber. Complementary ab initio calculations will be performed to identify likely reaction pathways. These gas-phase and the heterogeneous studies will improve the accuracy of urban air quality models by providing essential information about the photochemistry of oxygen-containing organic compounds and the gas-particle effects on reaction kinetics. For the educational plan, the investigator will improve teaching methods for atmospheric chemistry by incorporating modeling activities within the classroom setting. The environmental engineering courses the PI plans to develop are centered on aspects of problem-solving including: understanding a problem, describing its components, proposing a solution(s), and executing the solution. In addition, the PI has outlined a recruitment program to attract and retain underrepresented students in environmental science and engineering.