Sunlight Driven Chemistry in Aqueous Environments

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In this project funded by the Environmental Chemical Sciences Program in the Chemistry Division at the National Science Foundation, Professor Veronica Vaida at the University of Colorado-Boulder studies the sunlight-initiated chemistry of organic molecules. The research program addresses the following questions: What role does sunlight-initiated chemistry in aqueous environments play in altering organic molecules in the atmosphere? How do photochemical reactions affect the molecules in the sea surface and atmospheric aerosol particles? What are the non-biological mechanisms for particle formation, which use sunlight as the energy source and aqueous interfaces as reaction media? To what extent can laboratory data be used to model realistic environmental chemistry? By answering these questions, students and postdoctoral fellows gain broad expertise and skills in atmospheric chemistry. The students are guided by an international and interdisciplinary team of colleagues with complementary knowledge base and skill sets. The scientific exchange between investigators and interdisciplinary international collaborators significantly broadens the educational experience of all those involved in this project.This work derives molecular-level mechanisms and quantitative models for atmospheric photochemistry that occur in different phases, including gaseous and aqueous phases and at the surface of water. These photochemical reactions play an important role in the formation and chemical evolution of atmospheric aerosols with potentially important consequences to human health and climate change. This investigation examines the basic scientific aspects of sunlight-initiated, water-mediated, chemical reactivity of organic molecules. Using a combination of laboratory and theoretical studies, the outcome of the research is an improved understanding of the mechanisms, dynamics, and rates of photochemical reactions occurring in clusters and on aerosol surfaces that are of importance in the atmosphere.