This research is a component of a broad community experiment named SOAS (Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study) designed to further investigate the oxidation of the emissions (biogenic volatile organic compounds; BVOCs) of plants in the context of the atmospheric environment of the Southeast United States. The project will investigate the effects of organic amines on secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation processes. Amines, along with ammonia, are the dominant organic base compounds in the atmosphere. They are invariably present in aerosol particles, and may contribute to SOA formation through condensation of their oxidation products, or by the formation of salts with more acidic aerosol particles.
Amines and their oxidation products may have adverse health effects and directly impact air quality, and visibility. At present, measurements of gas-phase amines, especially in biogenic environments in the southeastern United States, are lacking. This project will make ground-based measurements of amines with a fast-time response chemical ionization mass spectrometer (CIMS) during the 2013 SOAS campaign to better investigate the effects of amines on secondary aerosol formation processes.
