Observations of organic and inorganic chlorinated compounds and their contribution to chlorine radical concentrations in an urban environment in northern Europe during the wintertime


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Priestley M., le Breton M., Bannan T. J., Worrall S. D., Bacak A., Smedley A. R. D., ...Daha Fazla

ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS, cilt.18, sa.18, ss.13481-13493, 2018 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus) identifier identifier

Özet

A number of inorganic (nitryl chloride, ClNO2; chlorine, Cl-2; and hypochlorous acid, HOCl) and chlorinated, oxygenated volatile organic compounds (ClOVOCs) have been measured in Manchester, UK during October and November 2014 using time-of-flight chemical ionisation mass spectrometry (ToF-CIMS) with the I- reagent ion. ClOVOCs appear to be mostly photochemical in origin, although direct emission from vehicles is also suggested. Peak concentrations of ClNO2, Cl(2 )and HOCl reach 506, 16 and 9 ppt respectively. The concentrations of ClNO2 are comparable to measurements made in London, but measurements of ClOVOCs, Cl-2 and HOC1 by this method are the first reported in the UK. Maximum HOCl and Cl-2 concentrations are found during the day and ClNO2 concentrations remain elevated into the afternoon if photolysis rates are low. Cl-2 exhibits a strong dependency on shortwave radiation, further adding to the growing body of evidence that it is a product of secondary chemistry. However, night-time emission is also observed. The contribution of ClNO2, Cl-2 and ClOVOCs to the chlorine radical budget suggests that Cl-2 can be a greater source of Cl than ClNO2, contributing 74 % of the Cl radicals produced on a high radiant-flux day. In contrast, on a low radiant-flux day, this drops to 14 %, as both Cl-2 production and loss pathways are inhibited by reduced photolysis rates. This results in ClNO2 making up the dominant fraction (83 %) on low radiant-flux days, as its concentrations are still high. As most ClOVOCs appear to be formed photochemically, they exhibit a similar dependence on photolysis, contributing 3 % of the Cl radical budget observed here.