To analyze the physicochemical properties and formation mechanisms of atmospheric imidazole-containing particles, a single-particle aerosol mass spectrometer (SPAMS) was employed to sample particulate matter in a major city in eastern China from December 19, 2018, to January 19, 2019. Throughout the monitoring period, particles containing carbonyls (183,952), amines and carbonyls (64,019), and imidazole (120,429) were collected. Four pollution episodes (E1-E4) and three clean periods (C1-C3) were identified based on increases in dominant precursor carbonyl particle concentrations. During pollution episodes, carbonyl-containing, amine-carbonyl mixed and imidazole-containing particles increased by 79.4%, 43.3%, and 61.9% on average, respectively. Relative humidity between 50%-70% and aerosol acidity in the range of 20-30 facilitated the conversion of carbonyl and amine/ammonium precursors into imidazole. Notably, glyoxal and methylglyoxal exhibited higher uptake rates under RH < 70%. Precursor particles peaked during the daytime. Imidazole particle concentrations were elevated at night, reflecting reduced photolysis and contributions from secondary formation processes. Principal component analysis (PCA) identified four factors, explaining 81.0% of the total variance. PC1 (41.0%) revealed C2HO3-, NH4HSO4, and DEA as key precursors. Factor loading analysis across different periods revealed that imidazole formation is a multi-factor process influenced by precursor composition and environmental parameters.

Atmospheric imidazole formation: Unraveling the roles of precursors, humidity, and aerosol acidity

Single-particle aerosol mass spectrometry was used to study the characteristics of Fe-containing particles during winter in Chengdu, southwest China. The mass concentrations of PM 2.5 and PM 10 during the study period were 64 ± 38 and 89 ± 49 µg/m 3 , respectively, and NO 2 and particulate matter were high compared with most other regions of China. The Fe-containing particles were divided into seven categories with different mass spectra, sources and aging characteristics. The highest contribution was from Fe mixed with carbonaceous components (Fe-C, 23.1%) particles. Fe was more mixed with sulfate than nitrate and therefore the contribution of Fe mixed with sulfate (Fe-S, 20.7%) particles was higher than that of Fe mixed with nitrate (Fe-N, 12.5%) particles. The contributions from Fe-containing particles related to primary combustion were high in the small particle size range, whereas aged Fe-containing particles and dust-related particles were mostly found in the coarse particle size range. The air masses mainly originated from the west and east of Chengdu, and the corresponding PM 2.5 concentrations were 79 ± 36 and 55 ± 36 µg/m 3 , respectively. The west and east air masses showed stronger contributions of Fe-containing particles related to biomass burning (Fe-B) and fossil fuel combustion (Fe-C and Fe-S) particles, respectively. The southwest area contributed the most Fe-containing particles. Future assessments of the effects of Fe-containing particles during heavy pollution period should pay more attention to Fe-C and Fe-S particles. Emission-reduction of Fe-containing particles should consider both local emissions and short-distance transmission from the surrounding areas. 

Characterization of Fe-containing particles in Chengdu, southwest China, using single-particle aerosol mass spectrometry

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Characterization of Fe-containing particles in Chengdu, southwest China, using single-particle aerosol mass spectrometry