R. R. Michelsen

Dissolution, speciation, and reaction of acetaldehyde in cold sulfuric acid

The uptake of gas-phase acetaldehyde [CH 3 CHO, ethanal] by aqueous sulfuric acid solutions was studied under upper tropospheric/lower stratospheric (UT/LS) conditions. The solubility of acetaldehyde was found to be low, between 2 x 10 M atm -1 and 1.5 x 10 5 M atm -1 under the ranges of temperature (211-241 K) and acid composition (39-76 weight percent, wt%, H 2 SO 4 ) studied. Under most conditions, acetaldehyde showed simple solubility behavior when exposed to sulfuric acid. Under moderately acidic conditions (usually 47 wt% H 2 SO 4 ), evidence of reaction was observed. Enhancement of uptake at long times was occasionally detected in conjunction with reaction. The source of these behaviors and the effect of acetaldehyde speciation on solubility are discussed. Implications for the uptake of oxygenated organic compounds by tropospheric aerosols are considered.

Solubility of Acetic Acid and Trifluoroacetic Acid in Low-Temperature (207-245 K) Sulfuric Acid Solutions: Implications for the Upper Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere

The solubility of gas-phase acetic acid (CH(3)COOH, HAc) and trifluoroacetic acid (CF(3)COOH, TFA) in aqueous sulfuric acid solutions was measured in a Knudsen cell reactor over ranges of temperature (207-245 K) and acid composition (40-75 wt %, H(2)SO(4)). For both HAc and TFA, the effective Henrys law coefficient, H*, is inversely dependent on temperature. Measured values of H* for TFA range from 1.7 × 10(3) M atm(-1) in 75.0 wt % H(2)SO(4) at 242.5 K to 3.6 × 10(8) M atm(-1) in 40.7 wt % H(2)SO(4) at 207.8 K. Measured values of H* for HAc range from 2.2 × 10(5) M atm(-1) in 57.8 wt % H(2)SO(4) at 245.0 K to 3.8 × 10(8) M atm(-1) in 74.4 wt % H(2)SO(4) at 219.6 K. The solubility of HAc increases with increasing H(2)SO(4) concentration and is higher in strong sulfuric acid than in water. In contrast, the solubility of TFA decreases with increasing sulfuric acid concentration. The equilibrium concentration of HAc in UT/LS aerosol particles is estimated from our measurements and is found to be up to several orders of magnitude higher than those determined for common alcohols and small carbonyl compounds. On the basis of our measured solubility, we determine that HAc in the upper troposphere undergoes aerosol partitioning, though the role of H(2)SO(4) aerosol particles as a sink for HAc in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere will only be discernible under high atmospheric sulfate perturbations.