Multiphase Chemistry and Mass Transport in Submicron Mixed Inorganic and Organic Aerosol Particles

化学系的环境化学科学(ECS)计划和大气和地球空间科学部的大气化学计划将支持华盛顿大学乔尔·桑顿教授的研究计划。桑顿教授和他的学生将研究N2O5在微小气溶胶颗粒中的反应性，以及当中等溶解的有机碳质材料与无机盐在水溶液液滴中混合时，N2O5如何依赖于颗粒大小和形态。N2O5主要作用于悬浮在空气中的液体或固体颗粒(气溶胶颗粒)，其大小从10纳米到1微米不等。在这样小的空间域中了解化学反应，除了解释大气成分外，还有非常重要的意义。这项研究将使用最先进的质谱学和颗粒测量仪器，并与太平洋西北国家实验室(PNNL)的研究人员合作。拟议的研究将提高我们对物理化学界和环境化学界普遍感兴趣的化学反应基本长度尺度的理解，并提供与大气相关的颗粒的反应速率测量。后者对于开发用于空气质量和最终为监管政策提供信息的化学-气候耦合模式的气体-颗粒反应的可靠参数至关重要。该项目将为希望在具有重大社会意义的领域从事专业科学事业的学生，包括代表人数不足的群体成员提供极好的培训机会。

The Environmental Chemical Sciences (ECS) program of the Division of Chemistry and the Atmospheric Chemistry program of the Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences will support the research program of Prof. Joel Thornton of the University of Washington. Professor Thornton and his students will study the reactivity of N2O5 in small aerosol particles and how it depends upon particle size and morphology when moderately soluble organic carbonaceous material is mixed with inorganic salts in aqueous solution droplets. N2O5 reacts primarily on liquid or solid particles suspended in air (aerosol particles) that range in size from 10 nanometers to 1 micrometer. Understanding chemical reactivity in such small spatial domains is of fundamental importance beyond interpreting atmospheric composition. The study will make use of state of the art mass spectrometry and particle sizing instruments, and involve collaboration with researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL).The proposed research will improve our understanding of the fundamental length scales of chemical reactions, of interest generally to the physical and environmental chemistry communities, and provide reaction rate measurements on atmospherically relevant particles. The latter is critical for developing robust parameterizations of gas-particle reactions for use in air quality and coupled chemistry-climate models that ultimately inform regulatory policy. The project will provide excellent training opportunities to students, including to members of under-represented groups, who wish to pursue a professional scientific career in an area of great societal importance.