HR: 0830h
AN: A51F-0740    [PDF]
TI: A Prototype Instrument for the Real Time Detection of Semi-Volatile Organic and Inorganic Nitrate Aerosol
AU: * Bertram, T H
EM: tbertram@uclink.berkeley.edu
AF: Department of Chemistry; University of California, Berkeley, 419 Latimer Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720 United States
AU: Cohen, R C
EM: cohen@cchem.berkeley.edu
AF: Department of Chemistry; University of California, Berkeley, 419 Latimer Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720 United States
AU: Cohen, R C
EM: cohen@cchem.berkeley.edu
AF: Department of Earth and Planetary Science; University of California, Berkeley, McCone Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720 United States
AB: Semi-volatile organic and inorganic nitrate aerosol represents an important reservoir for reactive nitrogen (NOy) in the troposphere, having significant implications for the atmospheric lifetime and regional transport of NOy. We describe a prototype instrument capable of chemically characterizing semi-volatile organic and inorganic nitrate aerosol in parallel with their gas phase precursors. Real time chemical detection of laboratory generated semi-volatile inorganic nitrate aerosol was achieved using Thermal Dissociation Laser Induced Fluorescence (TD-LIF). In this application, laboratory generated particles are thermally repartitioned back to their gas phase precursors for subsequent {\it in situ} detection via TD-LIF. High detection efficiencies, referenced to total nitrate measurements observed using a commercial flash vaporization instrument (R\&P Co. Inc.), were found for semi-volatile inorganic species such as ammonium nitrate, while non-volatile nitrate salt species exhibit low detection efficiency. Application to organic nitrate aerosol and considerations for future field deployment are discussed.
DE: 0305 Aerosols and particles (0345, 4801)
DE: 0394 Instruments and techniques
SC: Atmospheric Sciences [A]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting