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Title: Role of pH in Aerosol Processes and Measurement Challenges

Abstract

pH is one of the most basic chemical properties of aqueous solution, but its measurement in nanoscale aerosol particles presents many challenges. The pH of aerosol particles is of growing interest in the atmospheric chemistry community because of its demonstrated effects on heterogeneous chemistry and human health, as well as potential effects on climate. The authors have shown that phase transitions of aerosol particles are sensitive to pH, focusing on systems that undergo liquid-liquid phase separation. Currently, aerosol pH is calculated indirectly from knowledge of species present in the gas and aerosol phases through the use of thermodynamic models. From these models, ambient aerosol is expected to be highly acidic (pH ~ 0-3). Direct measurements have focused on model systems due to the difficulty of this measurement. This area is one in which physical chemists should be encouraged to contribute because of the potential consequences for aerosol processes in the environment.

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1];  [1];  [1]
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  1. Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); National Science Foundation (NSF)
OSTI Identifier:
1491413
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1508822
Grant/Contract Number:  
DE SC0018032; SC0018032; AGS-1723290
Resource Type:
Published Article
Journal Name:
Journal of Physical Chemistry. A, Molecules, Spectroscopy, Kinetics, Environment, and General Theory
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Name: Journal of Physical Chemistry. A, Molecules, Spectroscopy, Kinetics, Environment, and General Theory Journal Volume: 123 Journal Issue: 7; Journal ID: ISSN 1089-5639
Publisher:
American Chemical Society
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY

Citation Formats

Freedman, Miriam Arak, Ott, Emily-Jean E., and Marak, Katherine E. Role of pH in Aerosol Processes and Measurement Challenges. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1021/acs.jpca.8b10676.
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Freedman, Miriam Arak, Ott, Emily-Jean E., & Marak, Katherine E. Role of pH in Aerosol Processes and Measurement Challenges. United States. doi:10.1021/acs.jpca.8b10676.
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Freedman, Miriam Arak, Ott, Emily-Jean E., and Marak, Katherine E. Mon . "Role of pH in Aerosol Processes and Measurement Challenges". United States. doi:10.1021/acs.jpca.8b10676.
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@article{osti_1491413,
title = {Role of pH in Aerosol Processes and Measurement Challenges},
author = {Freedman, Miriam Arak and Ott, Emily-Jean E. and Marak, Katherine E.},
abstractNote = {pH is one of the most basic chemical properties of aqueous solution, but its measurement in nanoscale aerosol particles presents many challenges. The pH of aerosol particles is of growing interest in the atmospheric chemistry community because of its demonstrated effects on heterogeneous chemistry and human health, as well as potential effects on climate. The authors have shown that phase transitions of aerosol particles are sensitive to pH, focusing on systems that undergo liquid-liquid phase separation. Currently, aerosol pH is calculated indirectly from knowledge of species present in the gas and aerosol phases through the use of thermodynamic models. From these models, ambient aerosol is expected to be highly acidic (pH ~ 0-3). Direct measurements have focused on model systems due to the difficulty of this measurement. This area is one in which physical chemists should be encouraged to contribute because of the potential consequences for aerosol processes in the environment.},
doi = {10.1021/acs.jpca.8b10676},
journal = {Journal of Physical Chemistry. A, Molecules, Spectroscopy, Kinetics, Environment, and General Theory},
number = 7,
volume = 123,
place = {United States},
year = {2018},
month = {11}
}
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Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.8b10676
Copyright Statement
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Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 14 works
Citation information provided by
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Figures / Tables:

Figure 1 Figure 1: Acidic aerosol can cause damage to the lungs through dissolution of metals, oxidative stress, and inflammation.
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Works referencing / citing this record:

Prebiotic Phosphorylation of Uridine using Diamidophosphate in Aerosols
journal, September 2019

Bromide ion-functionalized nanoprobes for sensitive and reliable pH measurement by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy
journal, January 2019

  • Guo, Huiyuan; Huang, Qishen; Leng, Weinan
  • The Analyst, Vol. 144, Issue 24
  • DOI: 10.1039/c9an01699f

Fast oxidation of sulfur dioxide by hydrogen peroxide in deliquesced aerosol particles
journal, January 2020

  • Liu, Tengyu; Clegg, Simon L.; Abbatt, Jonathan P. D.
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 117, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1916401117
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