EXPLORATORY STUDIES ON SECONDARY ORGANIC AEROSOL FORMATION IN THE OZONOLYSIS OF ALKYL VINYL ETHERS

Since a number of organic solvents, e.g. aromatics and halocarbons, have been shown not only to have adverse health effects, but also to undergo complex chemical reactions in the atmosphere, which lead to the fori-nation of environmentally damaging compounds, it is now well accepted that a switch from aromatic and halocarbon solvents to oxygenated compounds is inevitable both in terms of reducing toxicity problems and the level of oxidant formation in the troposphere. One important group of oxygenated organic compounds is the vinyl ethers, which are widely used as solvents, additives and coatings. The increasing use of organic oxygenates as solvents has led to the need for knowledge on their contribution to the oxidizing capacity of the atmosphere, their possible contribution to toxic contaminant formation, indoor pollution and their contribution to secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation. As part of a systematic stud), of the gas-phase atmospheric chemistry of vinyl ethers preliminary investigations on SOA formation from the ozonolysis of alkyl vinyl ethers were performed.Chemistry, AppliedEnvironmental SciencesCPCI-S(ISTP)