Heterogeneous and Multiphase Reactions of Volatile and Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds on Mineral Dust Aerosol

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This award from the Environmental Chemical Sciences Program in the NSF Division of Chemistry supports Professor Vicky Grassian at the University of California, San Diego. Professor Grassian and her team investigate the role of aerosols, in particular, their interactions with different gases in the atmosphere from both natural and pollution sources. Aerosols are solid or liquid particles suspended in air. They are an important component of the Earth’s atmosphere and can impact human health and climate. This project investigates the chemical reactions of mineral dust aerosols, a class of aerosols from windblown soils and desert regions that circulate around the globe. Understanding the interaction of mineral dust aerosol with gases increases our knowledge of the different components that make up the atmosphere and the air we breathe. Other broader impacts include the training of undergraduate and graduate students. Professor Grassian has a research program that attracts a large and diverse number of students including many women and underrepresented minorities. Additionally, educational and outreach activities for the broader public will be developed. Dr. Grassian leads efforts to expand and enhance the effectiveness of outreach activities including further development of hands-on activities for the broader public that span K-12 students including activities that relate increase in volatile organic emissions to familiar consumer products.,This project focuses on laboratory studies of reactions of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds with mineral dust aerosol, an important component of the Earth’s atmosphere. The organic compounds include trace atmospheric gases termed volatile chemical products (VCPs), which recently have been identified as a class of compounds that comes predominantly from industrial sources. A multi-technique, molecule-based approach employing mass spectrometry and vibrational spectroscopy is used to probe mechanistic details of surface adsorption and subsequent reactions of the adsorbed organic compounds with acidic gases and oxidants. The research project identifies how mechanisms for these reactions change as a function of relative humidity and the presence of adsorbed water. The project also determines how the different components of mineral dust aerosol impact its reactivity. New products formed in these reactions are being characterized. This research aims to provide new insights and a better understanding of the heterogeneous and multiphase chemistry of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds with mineral dust aerosols from the perspective of fundamental molecular processes as well as potential global impacts.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.