The fate of organic peroxides indoors: quantifying humidity-dependent uptake on naturally soiled indoor window glass

Abstract

Humidity plays an important role in the surface removal and concentrations of indoor pollutants such as ozone; however, the indoor surface dynamics and chemistry of organic peroxides is largely unknown. Organic hydroperoxides (ROOHs) are known to participate in the multiphase chemistry of outdoor aerosols and clouds, suggesting that reactive uptake in condensed grime on indoor surfaces is plausible, particularly in humid homes. Here, the effect of relative humidity (RH) on the deposition velocity (v_d) and reaction probability (γ) of a model ROOH to naturally soiled indoor glass surfaces was investigated; specifically, by using authentic isoprene hydroxy hydroperoxide (1,2-ISOPOOH) as the model compound. Glass was soiled in 3 local homes for 1+ years and characterized. The removal of ISOPOOH by soiled and clean glass was measured under 5–6%, 56–58%, and 83–84% RH conditions using a novel flow reactor designed for indoor surfaces coupled to an iodide chemical ionization high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometer (I-HR-TOF-CIMS). The v_d and γ increased with increasing RH, ranging from 0.001–0.059 cm s⁻¹ and 0.4–4.6 (×10⁻⁶), respectively, on soiled glass surfaces. The v_d and γ ranged from only 0.001–0.016 cm s⁻¹ and 0.1–0.8 (×10⁻⁶), respectively, across RH conditions on clean glass, demonstrating a greater RH effect on soiled materials than clean. Loss rates calculated under humid conditions to soiled glass (∼1–6 h⁻¹) were competitive in scale with ventilation rates in typical residences, indicating the importance of surface uptake for indoor ROOH concentrations. This work provides parameters for predictive modeling of indoor ROOHs. To our knowledge, these are the first direct measurements of the v_d of an ROOH to naturally soiled indoor surfaces.