Products and yields from the gas-phase oxidation of benzenediols

Zachary Finewax, ANYL 3rd Year Student,
University of Colorado, Boulder
Jointly sponsored by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, CIRES, and the Environmental Program
Abstract:
Biomass burning (i.e. wildfires, prescribed burns) emits significant amounts of organic carbon to the atmosphere. However, the secondary processing of these emissions is poorly understood. In this work, catechol and resorcinol (1,2-benzenediol and 1,3-benzenediol, respectively) were reacted with hydroxyl radical (OH) in the presence of NOx, or with nitrate radical (NO3) in an environmental chamber. These compounds were previously identified and quantified as significant emissions from biomass burning. Both benzenediol isomers produced a significant quantity of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) after reaction with OH or NO3. 4-nitrocatechol was identified as the dominant product in the SOA from catechol oxidation by both OH and NO3, whereas the product distribution from resorcinol oxidation included benzenetriols, nitroaromatics, and hydroxybenzoquinones. Formation mechanisms of these products are discussed.