Investigating carbonyl compounds above the Amazon rainforest using a proton-transfer-reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer (PTR-ToF-MS) with NO + chemical ionization

• Published in: Atmospheric chemistry and physics Vol. 24; no. 20; pp. 11883 - 11910
• Main Authors: Ringsdorf, Akima, Edtbauer, Achim, Holanda, Bruna, Poehlker, Christopher, Sá, Marta O., Araújo, Alessandro, Kesselmeier, Jürgen, Lelieveld, Jos, Williams, Jonathan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Katlenburg-Lindau Copernicus GmbH 24-10-2024; Copernicus Publications
• Subjects: Acetone; Aerosol particles; Aldehydes; Atmosphere; Atmospheric boundary layer; Biomass; Biosphere; Carbonyl compounds; Carbonyls; Chemical composition; Chemical compounds; Dry season; Flight; Free radicals; Height; Ionization; Ions; Ketones; Mass spectrometers; Mass spectrometry; Methyl ethyl ketone; Nitrates; Observatories; Organic compounds; Oxidation; Ozone; Photochemicals; Photochemistry; Propionaldehyde; Protons; Rainforests; Reaction time; Reagents; Secondary aerosols; Temporal resolution; Troposphere; Upper troposphere; VOCs; Volatile organic compounds; Amazon Basin
• ISSN: 1680-7324; 1680-7316; 1680-7324
• DOI: 10.5194/acp-24-11883-2024

The photochemistry of carbonyl compounds significantly influences tropospheric chemical composition by altering the local oxidative capacity; free radical abundance in the upper troposphere; and formation of ozone, peroxycarboxylic nitric anhydride (PAN), and secondary organic aerosol particles. Carbonyl compounds can be emitted directly from the biosphere into the atmosphere and are formed through photochemical degradation of various precursor compounds. Aldehydes have atmospheric lifetimes of hours to days, whereas ketones persist for up to several weeks. While standard operating conditions for a proton-transfer-reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer (PTR-ToF-MS) using H3O+ ions are unable to separate aldehydes and ketones, the use of NO+ reagent ions allows for the differential detection of isomeric carbonyl compounds with a high temporal resolution. Here we study the temporal (24 h) and vertical (80–325 m) variability of individual carbonyl compounds in the Amazon rainforest atmosphere with respect to their rainforest-specific sources and sinks. We found strong sources of ketones within or just above the canopy (acetone, methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), and C5 ketones). A common feature of the carbonyls was nocturnal deposition observed by loss rates, most likely since oxidized volatile organic compounds are rapidly metabolized and utilized by the biosphere. With NO+ chemical ionization, we show that the dominant carbonyl species include acetone and propanal, which are present at a ratio of 1 : 10 in the wet-to-dry transition season and 1 : 20 in the dry season.