The Environmental Chemical Sciences Program in the Chemistry Division at the National Science Foundation supports the research of Professor Vicki H. Grassian at the University Iowa that will focus on the chemistry and photochemistry of mineral dust and metal-containing particles with trace atmospheric gases at the gas-solid and liquid-solid interface. The chemistry that occurs on these surfaces can alter gas phase concentrations of key atmospheric constituents as well as significantly change the physicochemical properties of the particles. In the environment, these interfaces are present as both aerosol and stationary surfaces. In the proposed studies, reactions of atmospheric gases with components of mineral dust and metal-containing particles are investigated to better understand the chemistry of the troposphere and the impact that these reactions have on the environment. Several different aspects will be investigated and include the heterogeneous chemistry of organic acids with mineral dust particles, the heterogeneous chemistry of atmospheric gases on photoactive components of mineral dust aerosol and surface reactions of anthropogenic metal-containing oxide particles, which are components of atmospheric aerosol as well as stationary surfaces. These reactions take place under different regimes of water activity and, therefore, different phases of water including adsorbed water at the gas-solid interface and liquid water at the liquid-solid interface.
The proposed activities focus on better understanding the fundamental chemistry that occurs at aerosol and stationary particle surfaces. Without these types of fundamental studies, there would be little information to incorporate into atmospheric and environmental model simulations and there would be little understanding of this potentially important reaction chemistry that may impact the environment. Besides broader impacts related to better understanding the natural and human-impacted environment, another important component of this research is in the educational and outreach activities that are proposed. These include training of undergraduate and graduate students. The PI has a research program that attracts a diverse group of students including many women and underrepresented minorities. Outreach activities include the development of hands-on activities for the broader public that spans K-12 students and their parents. The PI is leading efforts to expand and enhance the effectiveness of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) outreach and education in departments and centers within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Iowa.
