RUI: Characterization of Reactive Transients in Heterogeneous Atmospheric Photochemistry

凭借这一奖项，化学学部的环境化学科学项目正在资助科尔盖特大学的以法莲·伍兹教授研究由光与气溶胶粒子相互作用产生的短寿命化学物质，这些物质与对流层中发现的类似。这项工作的一个目标是通过光化学来确定促进有机气溶胶颗粒生长的条件。这些次生有机气溶胶粒子通过对地球辐射平衡的影响来影响气候。就更广泛的科学影响而言，这项研究有望使人们更好地了解影响气候的过程，并帮助科学家建立改进的预测模型。另一个影响是从事这项工作的科尔盖特大学本科生的专业发展。在作为团队成员参与这个项目的过程中，本科生获得了研究方法方面的经验，并为科学领域的研究生工作做好了更好的准备。本项目的实验旨在利用光电离方法检查气溶胶系统中光化学产生的瞬态物质。一种类型的实验将通过颗粒相三重态光敏剂对挥发性有机分子（VOCs）的反应性吸收来探测二次有机气溶胶（SOA）的形成。这项工作的目标是进一步了解空气颗粒界面的结构和形态如何影响这种新发现的SOA形成机制的动力学。另一种实验是研究含硝酸盐粒子产生自由基。第三个实验表征了未探索的环境中溶剂化电子的特征，并且无法通过其他实验获得。在这些研究中对气溶胶性质和表面的研究有望建立对这些复杂化学系统的分子水平的改进的理解。

With this award, the Environmental Chemical Sciences Program of the Division of Chemistry is funding Professor Ephraim Woods of Colgate University to study short-lived chemical species that are generated by the interaction of light with aerosol particles which are similar to those found in the troposphere. One goal of the work is to determine the conditions that promote the growth of organic aerosol particles through photochemistry. These secondary organic aerosol particles influence climate through their effects on the Earth's radiation balance. In terms of broader scientific impact, this research is expected to lead to a better understanding of the processes that affect climate and help scientists to forge improved predictive models. Another impact is the professional development of the undergraduates at Colgate University who conduct this work. In participating as team members on this project, undergraduates gain experience in research methods and become better prepared for graduate work in the sciences.Experiments in this project are designed to examine photochemically generated transient species in aerosol systems using photoionization methods. One type of experiment will probe the formation of secondary organic aerosols (SOA) through the reactive uptake of volatile organic molecules (VOCs) with particle phase triplet photosensitizers. The goal of this work is to further understand how the structure and morphology of the air-particle interface influences the kinetics of this newly identified SOA formation mechanism. Another type of experiment investigates the production of radicals from nitrate-containing particles. A third experiment characterizes solvated electrons in environments that are unexplored and not accessible through other experiments. The investigation of aerosol properties and surfaces in these studies is expected to establish an improved molecular-level understanding of these complex chemical systems.