It has recently been established that unsaturated water-soluble organic compounds (UWSOCs) might efficiently form oligomers in polluted fogs and wet aerosol particles, even for weakly soluble ones like methyl vinyl ketone (MVK). The atmospheric relevance of these processes is explored by means of multiphase process model studies in a companion paper. In the present study, we investigate the aging of these aqueous-phase MVK oligomers formed via •OH oxidation, as well as their ability to form secondary organic aerosol (SOA) upon water evaporation. The comparison between aqueous-phase composition and aerosol composition after nebulization of the corresponding solutions shows similar trends for oligomer formation and aging. The measurements reveal that oligomer aging leads to the formation of organic diacids. Quantification of the SOA mass formed after nebulization is performed, and the obtained SOA mass yields seem to depend on the spectral irradiance of the light used to initiate the photochemistry. Investigating a large range of initial MVK concentrations (0.2–20 mM), the results show that their •OH oxidation undergoes competition between functionalization and oligomerization that is dependent on the precursor concentration. At high initial MVK concentrations (≥ 2 mM), oligomerization prevails over functionalization, while at lower initial concentrations, oligomerization is not the major process, and functionalization dominates, resulting in small carbonyls, dicarbonyls and monoacids. The atmospheric implications of these processes are discussed.

It is now accepted that one of the important pathways of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation occurs through aqueous phase chemistry in the atmosphere. However, the chemical mechanisms leading to macromolecules are still not well understood. It was recently shown that oligomer production by OH radical oxidation in the aerosol aqueous phase from α-dicarbonyl precursors, such as methylglyoxal and glyoxal, is irreversible and fast. Methyl vinyl ketone (MVK) was chosen in the present study as it is an α,β-unsaturated carbonyl that can undergo radical oligomerization in the aerosol aqueous phase. We present here experiments on the aqueous phase OH-oxidation of MVK, performed under various conditions. Using NMR and UV absorption spectroscopy, high and ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry, we show that the fast formation of oligomers up to 1800 Da is due to radical oligomerization of MVK, and 13 series of oligomers (out of a total of 26 series) are identified. The influence of atmospherically relevant parameters such as temperature, initial concentrations of MVK and dissolved oxygen are presented and discussed. In agreement with the experimental observations, we propose a chemical mechanism of OH-oxidation of MVK in the aqueous phase that proceeds via radical oligomerization of MVK on the olefin part of the molecule. This mechanism highlights in our experiments the paradoxical role of dissolved O2: while it inhibits oligomerization reactions, it contributes to produce oligomerization initiator radicals, which rapidly consume O2, thus leading to the dominance of oligomerization reactions after several minutes of reaction. These processes, together with the large range of initial concentrations investigated show the fundamental role that radical oligomerization processes likely play in polluted fogs and atmospheric aerosol.

This work investigates the ability of methacrolein (MACR) and methyl vinyl ketone (MVK) (the two main gas phase atmospheric oxidation products of isoprene) to form oligomers and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) upon aqueous phase OH-oxidation and subsequent water evaporation. For the two precursors, electrospray mass spectrometry (in infusion and coupled to liquid chromatography) analysis of the reacting solutions brought clear evidence for the formation of oligomer systems having a mass range of up to 1400 Da. More than 11 series of oligomers were found. For MVK, the intensity and masses of oligomers became increasingly important as MVK initial concentrations increased from 0.2 to 20 mM. For both precursors, the oligomers were responsible for the SOA formation during nebulization experiments. The evaluated SOA mass yield ranged from 3.9 to 9.9% for MVK. These yields were time dependent and were in good agreement with the range (1.6-11.7%) obtained for MACR under the same conditions by El Haddad et al. (2009). (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.