Collaborative Research: Isotopologue Synthesis and Use for Elucidating Important Chemical Mechanisms of Organic Condensation Reactions in Atmospheric Particles

该奖项由化学部环境化学科学项目颁发给哈佛大学的scott Martin教授和西北大学的Regan Thomson教授。他们的合作研究解决了源自植物的挥发性有机分子在大气中扮演的复杂角色。这些分子在大气中的气体和粒子之间进行交换，人们对其方式知之甚少。大气颗粒，也被称为气溶胶，影响许多重要的大气过程，如云的形成和地球的气候。研究小组利用合成有机化学来制造被认为存在于大气中的分子，并将它们用于模拟大气条件的实验中。这项研究的结果可能是提高对大气过程的理解，从而允许对天气和气候系统进行更准确的建模。这项研究为两所大学的学生以及对等学习提供了机会。通过YouTube上的“科学面孔”系列，研究人员向公众传播科学和个人故事，吸引不同的观众。这项合作将合成有机化学的专业知识与大气科学的专业知识结合起来。该团队正在推进对二级有机气溶胶颗粒颗粒阶段复杂化学过程的理解。这种合成方法可以获得一套复杂的、非商业上可用的、但与大气高度相关的分子，并带有同位素标记。特别是，蒎烯同位素探针可以详细研究挥发性生物萜类。气溶胶实验提供了关于大气有机颗粒形成和生长的详细机制信息，这些信息是通过使用同位素探针物种在不同条件下得出的。目前正在测试流行化学机制的竞争性假设，从而阐明氧化/吸积途径和颗粒形成的机制方面。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award from the Environmental Chemical Sciences Program of the Chemistry Division supports Professor Scot Martin of Harvard University and Professor Regan Thomson of Northwestern University. Their collaborative research addresses the complex roles played in the atmosphere by volatile organic molecules that are derived from plants. These molecules exchange between gases and particles in the atmosphere in ways that are poorly understood. Atmospheric particles, also known as aerosols, affect many important atmospheric processes, such as cloud formation, and the Earth's climate. The research team utilizes synthetic organic chemistry to make molecules thought to exist in the atmosphere and uses them in experiments designed to simulate atmospheric conditions. The outcome of this research may be an improved understanding of atmospheric processes, which allows for more accurate modelling of the weather and climate system. The research provides opportunities for students at both institutions as well as peer-to-peer learning. Through the "Faces of Science" YouTube series the researchers communicate science and personal stories to the general public, engaging diverse audiences. This collaboration combines expertise in synthetic organic chemistry with expertise in atmospheric science. The team is advancing the understanding of the complex chemical processes in the particle phase of secondary organic aerosol particles. The synthesis enables access to a suite of complex, non-commercially available, yet highly atmospherically-relevant molecules with isotopic labeling. In particular, pinene isotopologue probes enable detailed studies of volatile biogenic terpenes. The aerosol experiments provide detailed mechanistic information regarding the formation and growth of atmospheric organic particles, as derived by use of the isotopologue probe species under varying conditions. Competing hypotheses of the prevailing chemical mechanisms are being tested and thus elucidate mechanistic aspects of oxidation/accretion pathways and particle formation.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.