Articles | Volume 3, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-3-175-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-3-175-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
The impact of unimolecular reactions on acyl peroxy radical initiated isoprene oxidation
Ida Karppinen
Department of Chemistry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
Dominika Pasik
Department of Chemistry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
Emelda Ahongshangbam
Department of Chemistry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
Department of Chemistry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
Related authors
No articles found.
Nanna Myllys, Tinja Olenius, Juha Kangasluoma, Dominik Stolzenburg, Theo Kurtén, Matti Rissanen, James Smith, and Mikael Ehn
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3785, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3785, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
Short summary
Short summary
Recent study proposed that organic nanoparticles can form when carboxylic acids stick together through hydrogen-bond interactions. We re-examined this idea and showed by cluster kinetics simulations that this mechanism cannot explain organic nanoparticle formation in the atmosphere. These findings are important to understand the complexity of atmospheric nanoparticle formation.
Dominika Pasik, Thomas Golin Almeida, Emelda Ahongshangbam, Siddharth Iyer, and Nanna Myllys
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4313–4331, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4313-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4313-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We used quantum chemistry methods to investigate the oxidation mechanisms of acyl peroxy radicals (APRs) with various monoterpenes. Our findings reveal unique oxidation pathways for different monoterpenes, leading to either chain-terminating products or highly reactive intermediates that can contribute to particle formation in the atmosphere. This research highlights APRs as potentially significant but underexplored atmospheric oxidants that may influence future approaches to modelling climate.
Dina Alfaouri, Monica Passananti, Tommaso Zanca, Lauri Ahonen, Juha Kangasluoma, Jakub Kubečka, Nanna Myllys, and Hanna Vehkamäki
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 11–19, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-11-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-11-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
To study what is happening in the atmosphere, it is important to be able to measure the molecules and clusters present in it. In our work, we studied an artifact that happens inside a mass spectrometer, in particular the fragmentation of clusters. We were able to quantify the fragmentation and retrieve the correct concentration and composition of the clusters using our dual (experimental and theoretical) approach.
Cited articles
Atkinson, R. and Arey, J.: Atmospheric degradation of volatile organic compounds, Chem. Rev., 103, 4605–4638, 2003. a
Atkinson, R., Baulch, D., Cox, R., Hampson Jr., R., Kerr, J., Rossi, M., and Troe, J.: Evaluated kinetic, photochemical and heterogeneous data for atmospheric chemistry: Supplement V. IUPAC Subcommittee on Gas Kinetic Data Evaluation for Atmospheric Chemistry, J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data, 26, 521–1011, 1997. a, b
Bannwarth, C., Ehlert, S., and Grimme, S.: GFN2-xTB—An accurate and broadly parametrized self-consistent tight-binding quantum chemical method with multipole electrostatics and density-dependent dispersion contributions, J. Chem. Theory Comput., 15, 1652–1671, 2019. a
Calvert, J., Mellouki, A., Orlando, J., Pilling, M., and Wallington, T.: Mechanisms of Atmospheric Oxidation of the Oxygenates, Oxford University Press USA, ISBN 9780199767076, 2011. a
Chai, J.-D. and Head-Gordon, M.: Long-range corrected hybrid density functionals with damped atom–atom dispersion corrections, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 10, 6615–6620, 2008a. a
Chai, J.-D. and Head-Gordon, M.: Systematic optimization of long-range corrected hybrid density functionals, J. Chem. Phys., 128, 8, https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2834918, 2008b. a
Clark, T., Chandrasekhar, J., Spitznagel, G. W., and Schleyer, P. V. R.: Efficient diffuse function-augmented basis sets for anion calculations. III. The 3-21+ G basis set for first-row elements, Li–F, J. Comput. Chem., 4, 294–301, 1983. a
Crounse, J. D., Nielsen, L. B., Jørgensen, S., Kjaergaard, H. G., and Wennberg, P. O.: Autoxidation of organic compounds in the atmosphere, J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 4, 3513–3520, 2013. a
Demore, W., Sander, S., Golden, D., Hampson, R., Kurylo, M., Howard, C., Ravishankara, A., Kolb, C., and Molina, M.: Chemical Kinetics and Photochemical Data for Use in Stratospheric Modeling, JPL Publication, 90, 196 pp., https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19880014628/downloads/19880014628.pdf (last access: 11 November 2024), 1997. a
Dillon, T. J., Dulitz, K., Groß, C. B. M., and Crowley, J. N.: Temperature-dependent rate coefficients for the reactions of the hydroxyl radical with the atmospheric biogenics isoprene, alpha-pinene and delta-3-carene, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 15137–15150, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-15137-2017, 2017. a
Dunning Jr., T. H.: Gaussian basis sets for use in correlated molecular calculations. I. The atoms boron through neon and hydrogen, J. Chem. Phys., 90, 1007–1023, 1989. a
Eckart, C.: The penetration of a potential barrier by electrons, Phys. Rev., 35, 1303, https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRev.35.1303, 1930. a
El-Agamey, A. and McGarvey, D. J.: Acyl/aroylperoxyl radicals: a comparative study of the reactivity of peroxyl radicals resulting from the α-cleavage of ketones, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 4, 1611–1617, 2002. a
Gu, C., Wang, S., Zhu, J., Wu, S., Duan, Y., Gao, S., and Zhou, B.: Investigation on the urban ambient isoprene and its oxidation processes, Atmos. Environ., 270, 118870, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2021.118870, 2022. a
Hehre, W. J., Ditchfield, R., and Pople, J. A.: Self—consistent molecular orbital methods. XII. Further extensions of Gaussian—type basis sets for use in molecular orbital studies of organic molecules, J. Chem. Phys., 56, 2257–2261, 1972. a
Jenkin, M. E., Boyd, A. A., and Lesclaux, R.: Peroxy radical kinetics resulting from the OH-initiated oxidation of 1, 3-butadiene, 2, 3-dimethyl-1, 3-butadiene and isoprene, J. Atmos. Chem., 29, 267–298, 1998. a
Jenkin, M. E., Valorso, R., Aumont, B., and Rickard, A. R.: Estimation of rate coefficients and branching ratios for reactions of organic peroxy radicals for use in automated mechanism construction, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 7691–7717, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-7691-2019, 2019. a
Johnston, H. S. and Heicklen, J.: Tunnelling corrections for unsymmetrical Eckart potential energy barriers, J. Phys. Chem., 66, 532–533, 1962. a
Karppinen, I.: The impact of unimolecular reactions on acyl peroxy radical initiated isoprene oxidation, In Aerosol Research, Zenodo [data set], https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15112994, 2025. a
Kendall, R. A., Dunning, T. H., and Harrison, R. J.: Electron affinities of the first-row atoms revisited. Systematic basis sets and wave functions, J. Chem. Phys., 96, 6796–6806, 1992. a
Kleindienst, T. E., Harris, G. W., and Pitts, J. N.: Rates and temperature dependences of the reaction of hydroxyl radical with isoprene, its oxidation products, and selected terpenes, Environ. Sci. Technol., 16, 844–846, 1982. a
Kubečka, J., Besel, V., Kurtén, T., Myllys, N., and Vehkamaki, H.: Configurational sampling of noncovalent (atmospheric) molecular clusters: sulfuric acid and guanidine, J. Phys. Chem. A, 123, 6022–6033, 2019. a
Lee, S.-H., Gordon, H., Yu, H., Lehtipalo, K., Haley, R., Li, Y., and Zhang, R.: New particle formation in the atmosphere: From molecular clusters to global climate, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 124, 7098–7146, 2019. a
McMahon, R. J.: Chemical reactions involving quantum tunneling, Science, 299, 833–834, 2003. a
Meana-Pañeda, R., Truhlar, D. G., and Fernández-Ramos, A.: High-level direct-dynamics variational transition state theory calculations including multidimensional tunneling of the thermal rate constants, branching ratios, and kinetic isotope effects of the hydrogen abstraction reactions from methanol by atomic hydrogen, J. Chem. Phys., 134, 9, https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3555763, 2011. a
Møller, K. H., Otkjær, R. V., Chen, J., and Kjaergaard, H. G.: Double bonds are key to fast unimolecular reactivity in first-generation monoterpene hydroxy peroxy radicals, J. Phys. Chem. A, 124, 2885–2896, 2020. a
Neese, F.: The ORCA program system, Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Computational Molecular Science, 2, 73–78, 2012. a
Nozière, B. and Vereecken, L.: H-shift and cyclization reactions in unsaturated alkylperoxy radicals near room temperature: propagating or terminating autoxidation?, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 26, 25373–25384, 2024. a
Nozière, B., Durif, O., Dubus, E., Kylington, S., Emmer, Å., Fache, F., Piel, F., and Wisthaler, A.: The reaction of organic peroxy radicals with unsaturated compounds controlled by a non-epoxide pathway under atmospheric conditions, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 25, 7772–7782, 2023. a
Otkjær, R. V., Jakobsen, H. H., Tram, C. M., and Kjaergaard, H. G.: Calculated hydrogen shift rate constants in substituted alkyl peroxy radicals, J. Phys. Chem. A, 122, 8665–8673, 2018. a
Pasik, D., Frandsen, B. N., Meder, M., Iyer, S., Kurtén, T., and Myllys, N.: Gas-Phase Oxidation of Atmospherically Relevant Unsaturated Hydrocarbons by Acyl Peroxy Radicals, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 146, 13427–13437, 2024a. a
Pracht, P., Bohle, F., and Grimme, S.: Automated exploration of the low-energy chemical space with fast quantum chemical methods, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 22, 7169–7192, 2020. a
Riplinger, C. and Neese, F.: An efficient and near linear scaling pair natural orbital based local coupled cluster method, J. Chem. Phys., 138, 3, https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4773581, 2013. a
Riplinger, C., Sandhoefer, B., Hansen, A., and Neese, F.: Natural triple excitations in local coupled cluster calculations with pair natural orbitals, J. Chem. Phys., 139, 13, https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4821834, 2013. a
Sandhiya, L. and Senthilkumar, K.: Unimolecular decomposition of acetyl peroxy radical: a potential source of tropospheric ketene, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 22, 26819–26827, 2020. a
Stevens, P. S., Seymour, E., and Li, Z.: Theoretical and experimental studies of the reaction of OH with isoprene, J. Phys. Chem. A, 104, 5989–5997, 2000. a
Vereecken, L. and Nozière, B.: H migration in peroxy radicals under atmospheric conditions, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 7429–7458, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-7429-2020, 2020. a, b, c
Vereecken, L. and Peeters, J.: The 1, 5-H-shift in 1-butoxy: A case study in the rigorous implementation of transition state theory for a multirotamer system, J. Chem. Phys., 119, 5159–5170, 2003. a
Vereecken, L. and Peeters, J.: Nontraditional (per) oxy ring-closure paths in the atmospheric oxidation of isoprene and monoterpenes, J. Phys. Chem. A, 108, 5197–5204, 2004. a
Viegas, L. P.: Exploring the reactivity of hydrofluoropolyethers toward OH through a cost-effective protocol for calculating multiconformer transition state theory rate constants, J. Phys. Chem. A, 122, 9721–9732, 2018. a
Viegas, L. P.: Simplified protocol for the calculation of multiconformer transition state theory rate constants applied to tropospheric OH-initiated oxidation reactions, J. Phys. Chem. A, 125, 4499–4512, 2021. a
Villenave, E., Lesclaux, R., Seefeld, S., and Stockwell, W. R.: Kinetics and atmospheric implications of peroxy radical cross reactions involving the CH3C (O) O2 radical, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 103, 25273–25285, 1998. a
Wennberg, P. O., Bates, K. H., Crounse, J. D., Dodson, L. G., McVay, R. C., Mertens, L. A., Nguyen, T. B., Praske, E., Schwantes, R. H., Smarte, M. D., St Clair, J. M., Teng, A. P., Zhang, X., and Seinfeld, J. H.: Gas-phase reactions of isoprene and its major oxidation products, Chem. Rev., 118, 3337–3390, 2018. a
Xu, L., Møller, K. H., Crounse, J. D., Otkjær, R. V., Kjaergaard, H. G., and Wennberg, P. O.: Unimolecular reactions of peroxy radicals formed in the oxidation of α-pinene and β-pinene by hydroxyl radicals, J. Phys. Chem. A, 123, 1661–1674, 2019. a
Zhang, F. and Dibble, T. S.: Impact of tunneling on hydrogen-migration of the n-propylperoxy radical, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 13, 17969–17977, 2011. a
Zhao, Y. and Truhlar, D. G.: The M06 suite of density functionals for main group thermochemistry, thermochemical kinetics, noncovalent interactions, excited states, and transition elements: two new functionals and systematic testing of four M06-class functionals and 12 other functionals, Theor. Chem. Account., 120, 215–241, 2008. a
Short summary
Acyl peroxy radicals can act as atmospheric oxidants of unsaturated hydrocarbons if their 1) unimolecular reactions are slow and 2) bimolecular accretion reactions are fast. Using theoretical tools, we show which acyl peroxy radicals should be considered oxidants in the atmosphere.
Acyl peroxy radicals can act as atmospheric oxidants of unsaturated hydrocarbons if their 1)...
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint