Stable carbon isotopic compositions of low-molecularweight dicarboxylic acids, glyoxylic acid and glyoxal in tropical aerosols: implications for photochemical processes of organic aerosols

Stelyus l. Mkoma; Kimitaka Kawamura; Eri Tachibana

doi:10.3402/tellusb.v66.23702

Stable carbon isotopic compositions of low-molecularweight dicarboxylic acids, glyoxylic acid and glyoxal in tropical aerosols: implications for photochemical processes of organic aerosols

Tellus B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology

Volume 66 (2014): Issue 1

By: Stelyus l. Mkoma, Kimitaka Kawamura and Eri Tachibana

Open Access

|Jan 2014

Abstract

Tropical aerosols of PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ were collected at a rural site in Morogoro, Tanzania (East Africa), and analysed for stable carbon isotopic composition (δ¹³C) of dicarboxylic acids (C₂–C₉), glyoxylic acid (ωC₂) and glyoxal (Gly) using gas chromatography/isotope ratio mass spectrometer. PM_2.5 samples showed that δ¹³C of oxalic (C₂) acid are largest (mean, −18.3±1.7‰) followed by malonic (C₃, −19.6±1.0‰) and succinic (C₄, −21.8±2.2‰) acids, whereas those in PM₁₀ are a little smaller: −19.9±3.1‰ (C₂), −20.2±2.7‰ (C₃) and −23.3±3.2‰ (C₄). The δ¹³C of C₂–C₄ diacids showed a decreasing trend with an increase in carbon numbers. The higher δ¹³C values of oxalic acid can be explained by isotopic enrichment of ¹³C in the remaining C₂ due to the atmospheric decomposition of oxalic acid or its precursors. δ¹³C of ωC₂ and Gly that are precursors of oxalic acid also showed larger values (mean, −22.5‰ and −20.2‰, respectively) in PM_2.5 than those (−26.7‰ and −23.7‰) in PM₁₀. The δ¹³C values of ωC₂ and Gly are smaller than those of C₂ in both PM_2.5 and PM₁₀. On the other hand, azelaic acid (C₉; mean, −28.5‰) is more depleted in ¹³C, which is consistent with the previous knowledge; that is, C₉ is produced by the oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids emitted from terrestrial higher plants. A significant enrichment of ¹³C in oxalic acid together with its negative correlations with relative abundance of C₂ in total diacids and ratios of water-soluble organic carbon and organic carbon further support that a photochemical degradation of oxalic acid occurs during long-range transport from source regions.

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Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3402/tellusb.v66.23702 | Journal eISSN: 1600-0889

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Language: English

Page range: 23702 - 23702

Submitted on: Dec 29, 2013

Accepted on: Sep 10, 2014

Published on: Jan 1, 2014

Published by: Stockholm University Press

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Keywords:

PM_2.5 and PM₁₀,

stable carbon isotope ratios,

diacids,

glyoxal,

© 2014 Stelyus l. Mkoma, Kimitaka Kawamura, Eri Tachibana, published by Stockholm University Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Volume 66 (2014): Issue 1