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| Titel |
Identification of characteristic mass spectrometric markers for primary biological aerosol particles and comparison with field data from submicron pristine aerosol particles |
| VerfasserIn |
F. Freutel, J. Schneider, S. R. Zorn, F. Drewnick, S. Borrmann, T. Hoffmann, S. T. Martin |
| Konferenz |
EGU General Assembly 2009
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| Medientyp |
Artikel
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| Sprache |
Englisch
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| Digitales Dokument |
PDF |
| Erschienen |
In: GRA - Volume 11 (2009) |
| Datensatznummer |
250026712
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| Zusammenfassung |
| The contribution of primary biological aerosol (PBA) to the total aerosol particle
concentration is estimated to range between 25 and 80%, depending on location and season.
Especially in the tropical rain forest it is expected that PBA is a major source of particles in
the supermicron range, and is also an important fraction of the submicron aerosol. PBA
particles like plant fragments, pollen, spores, fungi, viruses etc. contain chemical compounds
as proteins, sugars, amino acids, chlorophyll, and cellular material as cellulose. For this
reason we have performed mass spectrometric laboratory measurements (Aerodyne C-ToF
and W-ToF AMS, single particle laser ablation instrument SPLAT) on pure submicron
aerosol particles containing typical PBA compounds in order to identify typical mass spectral
patterns of these compounds and to explain the observed fragmentation patterns on the basis
of molecular structures. These laboratory data were compared to submicron particle
mass spectra obtained during AMAZE-08 (Amazonian Aerosol CharacteriZation
Experiment, Brazil, February/March 2008). The results indicate that characteristic m/z
ratios for carbohydrates (e.g., glucose, saccharose, levoglucosan, mannitol) can be
identified, for example m/z = 60(C2H4O2+) or m/z = 61(C2H5O2+). Certain
characteristic peaks for amino acids were also identified in the laboratory experiments.
In the field data from AMAZE-08, these characteristic peaks for carbohydrates
and amino acids were found, and their contribution to the total organic mass was
estimated to about 5%. Fragment ions from peptides and small proteins were also
identified in laboratory experiments. Larger proteins, however, seem to become
oxidized to CO2+ to a large extend in the vaporizing process of the AMS. Thus,
detection of proteins in atmospheric aerosol particles with the AMS appears to be
difficult. |
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