Atmospheric Reactions of PAH Derivatives: Formation and Degradation

Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic compounds are ubiquitous atmospheric pollutants with toxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic properties. They are produced from the chemical reactions of their parent or related compounds in the atmosphere as well as from a wide variety of anthropogenic sources, such as fuel combustion. In this chapter, chemical reaction pathways for the atmospheric secondary formation of several polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) derivatives, i.e., gas-phase formation of mutagenic 1- and 2-nitrotriphenylene via OH or NO3 radical-initiated reactions of the parent triphenylene, formation of carcinogenic 1-nitropyrene from heterogeneous nitration of pyrene on mineral dust aerosols, atmospheric formation of hydroxynitropyrenes from a photochemical reaction of 1-nitropyrene, and photochemical degradation of selected nitrated and oxygenated PAHs on airborne particles under simulated solar UV irradiation, are addressed.