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Title: Predictions of diffusion rates of large organic molecules in secondary organic aerosols using the Stokes–Einstein and fractional Stokes–Einstein relations

Journal Article · · Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (Online)
ORCiD logo [1];  [1]; ORCiD logo [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [1]; ORCiD logo [6];  [3]; ORCiD logo [7]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. Univ. of Columbia, Vancouver, BC (Canada)
  2. Univ. of Bristol (United Kingdom); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
  3. Univ. of California, Irvine, CA (United States)
  4. Max Planck Inst. for Chemistry, Mainz (Germany); National Observatory of Athens, Palea Penteli (Greece)
  5. Max Planck Inst. for Chemistry, Mainz (Germany); Forschungszentrum Jülich (Germany)
  6. Max Planck Inst. for Chemistry, Mainz (Germany); The Cyprus Inst., Nicosia (Cyprus)
  7. Univ. of Bristol (United Kingdom)

Information on the rate of diffusion of organic molecules within secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is needed to accurately predict the effects of SOA on climate and air quality. Diffusion can be important for predicting the growth, evaporation, and reaction rates of SOA under certain atmospheric conditions. Often, researchers have predicted diffusion rates of organic molecules within SOA using measurements of viscosity and the Stokes–Einstein relation ($D∝1/η$, where D is the diffusion coefficient and η is viscosity). However, the accuracy of this relation for predicting diffusion in SOA remains uncertain. Using rectangular area fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (rFRAP), we determined diffusion coefficients of fluorescent organic molecules over 8 orders in magnitude in proxies of SOA including citric acid, sorbitol,and a sucrose–citric acid mixture. These results were combined with literature data to evaluate the Stokes–Einstein relation for predicting the diffusion of organic molecules in SOA. Although almost all the data agree with the Stokes–Einstein relation within a factor of 10, a fractional Stokes–Einstein relation ($D∝1/η^ξ$) with ξ=0.93 is a better model for predicting the diffusion of organic molecules in the SOA proxies studied. In addition, based on the output from a chemical transport model, the Stokes–Einstein relation can overpredict mixing times of organic molecules within SOA by as much as 1 order of magnitude at an altitude of ~3 km compared to the fractional Stokes–Einstein relation with ξ=0.93. These results also have implications for other areas such as in food sciences and the preservation of biomolecules.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231
OSTI ID:
1581748
Journal Information:
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (Online), Vol. 19, Issue 15; ISSN 1680-7324
Publisher:
European Geosciences UnionCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 30 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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  • C., Flagan, Richard; C., Eddingsaas, Nathan; L., Loza, Christine
  • The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries https://doi.org/10.17615/sz9v-nb58
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Cited By (4)

Effect of Bulk Composition on the Heterogeneous Oxidation of Semi-Solid Atmospheric Aerosols journal December 2019
Liquid–liquid phase separation and viscosity within secondary organic aerosol generated from diesel fuel vapors journal January 2019
Liquid–liquid phase separation and viscosity within secondary organic aerosol generated from diesel fuel vapors journal January 2019
Predicting secondary organic aerosol phase state and viscosity and its effect on multiphase chemistry in a regional-scale air quality model journal January 2020