RUI: Investigation of the Solubilities and Glass Formation Properties of Carboxylate Salts Important in the Upper Troposphere

由大气化学计划和环境化学科学计划共同资助的本科院校研究（RUI）项目侧重于实验室实验，以测量模拟大气中小颗粒和气溶胶行为的选定化学物质的重要物理和化学性质。这些特性对于云和冰的形成建模非常重要，并且需要改进天气和气候模型。对含水有机酸/金属/硫酸铵溶液的溶质的温度依赖性溶解度和玻璃化转变温度作为浓度的函数进行了测量，这些溶质与理解对流层上层气溶胶的行为有关。玻璃状有机酸盐及其与硫酸铵的混合物的性质引起了特别的兴趣，因为最近的研究表明，玻璃状有机气溶胶粒子能有效地形成冰核。这项工作的结果将用于气候模型，以更好地预测大气中的云和冰如何影响气候。

This Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) project, co-funded by the Atmospheric Chemistry Program and the Environmental Chemical Science Program, is focused on laboratory experiments to measure important physical and chemical properties of selected chemical species that mimic the behavior of small particles and aerosol found in atmosphere. These properties are important for modeling cloud and ice formation and are needed for improving weather and climate models.Measurements are being made of the temperature dependent solubilities and glass transition temperatures as a function of concentration for aqueous organic acid/metals/ammonium sulfate solutions that contain solutes relevant for understanding the behavior of upper tropospheric aerosols. Properties of glassy organic acid salts and their mixtures with ammonium sulfate are of special interest because recent research suggests that glassy organic aerosol particles are effective at forming ice nuclei. The results of this effort will be used in climate models to make better predictions of how clouds and ice in the atmosphere influence climate.