Condensed Phase Kinetic Studies of Hydroxynitrates Derived from the Photooxidation of Carene, Limonene, trans-Carveol, and Perillic Alcohol

Abstract

Organic hydroxynitrates (HNs) are key products of hydrocarbon oxidation in the atmosphere. Understanding the fate and processing of these molecules is critical due to their function in the sequestration of NOx species from the atmosphere and in the formation of secondary organic aerosol. However, the direct study of individual HNs’ reactivity has been largely hindered by the lack of authentic standards which has further limited the ability to deconvolute the role of structural features. Herein, we report the kinetic stabilities of six biogenic volatile organic compound-derived HN in acidified single-phase organic/water matrices. Lifetimes for tertiary HNs ranged from 15 min to 6.4 h, whereas secondary HN varied from 56 days to 2.1 years. Product analysis highlights the role that additional non-hydrolysis reactions have in the condensed phase conversion of HNs. This work provides the first evidence for the structural dependence of HN stability in bulk mixed media.