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Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-51
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-51
18 Jan 2024
 | 18 Jan 2024

Secondary Organic Aerosols Derived from Intermediate Volatility n-Alkanes Adopt Low Viscous Phase State

Tommaso Galeazzo, Bernard Aumont, Marie Camredon, Richard Valorso, Yong B. Lim, Paul J. Ziemann, and Manabu Shiraiwa

Abstract. Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) derived from n-alkanes, as emitted from vehicles and volatile chemical products, is a dominant component of anthropogenic particulate matter, yet its chemical composition and phase state are poorly understood and hardly constrained in aerosol models. Here we provide a comprehensive analysis of n-alkane SOA by explicit chemistry modeling, machine learning, and laboratory experiments to show that, counterintuitively, n-alkane SOA adopt low viscous semisolid or liquid states. Our study underlines the complex interplay of molecular composition and SOA viscosity: n-alkane SOA with higher carbon number mostly consists of less functionalized first-generation products with lower viscosity, while the lower carbon number SOA contains more functionalized multigeneration products with higher viscosity. This study opens up a new avenue for analysis of SOA processes and the results indicate little kinetic limitations of mass accommodation in SOA formation, supporting the application of equilibrium partitioning for simulating n-alkane SOA formation in large-scale atmospheric models.

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Journal article(s) based on this preprint

14 May 2024
Secondary organic aerosols derived from intermediate-volatility n-alkanes adopt low-viscous phase state
Tommaso Galeazzo, Bernard Aumont, Marie Camredon, Richard Valorso, Yong B. Lim, Paul J. Ziemann, and Manabu Shiraiwa
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 5549–5565, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5549-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5549-2024, 2024
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The requested preprint has a corresponding peer-reviewed final revised paper. You are encouraged to refer to the final revised version.

Short summary
SOA derived from n-alkanes is a major component of anthropogenic particulate matter. We provide...
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