Effects of copper on chemical kinetics and brown carbon formation in the aqueous ˙OH oxidation of phenolic compounds

Abstract

Many phenolic compounds (PhCs) in biomass burning and fossil fuel combustion emissions can partition into atmospheric aqueous phases (e.g., cloud/fog water and aqueous aerosols) and undergo reactions to form secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) and brown carbon (BrC). Redox-active transition metals, particularly Fe and Cu, are ubiquitous species in atmospheric aqueous phases known to participate in Fenton/Fenton-like chemistry as a source of aqueous ˙OH. However, even though the concentrations of water-soluble Cu are close to those of water-soluble Fe in atmospheric aqueous phases in some areas, unlike Fe, the effects that Cu have on SOA and BrC formation in atmospheric aqueous phases have scarcely been studied and remain poorly understood. We investigated the effects of Cu(II) on PhC reaction rates and BrC formation during the aqueous oxidation of four PhCs (guaiacol, catechol, syringol, and vanillin) by ˙OH generated from Fenton-like chemistry under different pH conditions. While the PhCs reacted when both H₂O₂ and Cu(II) were present in the absence (i.e., dark oxidation) and presence (i.e., photooxidation) of light, the reaction rates were at least one order of magnitude higher during photooxidation. Higher PhC reaction rates were measured at higher pH during both dark oxidation and photooxidation as a result of higher ˙OH concentrations produced by Fenton-like chemistry. Only water-soluble BrC was formed during dark oxidation and photooxidation when Cu(II) was present. Mass absorption coefficients (10³ to 10⁴ cm² g⁻¹) comparable to those of biomass burning BrC were measured during dark oxidation and photooxidation when Cu(II) was present. Light absorption was enhanced at higher pH during dark oxidation and photooxidation, which indicated that higher quantities and/or more absorbing BrC chromophores were formed at higher pH. The effects that Cu(II) had on the PhC reaction rates and the composition of SOAs and BrC formed depended on the PhC base structure (i.e., benzenediol vs. methoxyphenol). Overall, these results show how aqueous reactions involving Cu(II), H₂O₂, and PhCs can be an efficient source of daytime and nighttime water-soluble BrC and SOAs, which can have significant implications for how the atmospheric fates of PhCs are modeled for areas with substantial concentrations of water-soluble Cu in highly to moderately acidic cloud/fog water and aqueous aerosols.