Articles | Volume 3, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-3-237-2025
© 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-3-237-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
19 May 2025
Research article |
| 19 May 2025
| 19 May 2025
Growth of atmospheric freshly nucleated particles: a semi-empirical molecular dynamics study
Yosef Knattrup
Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Langelandsgade 140, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
Ivo Neefjes
Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Langelandsgade 140, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
Jakub Kubečka
Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Langelandsgade 140, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Langelandsgade 140, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
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We investigated how water vapor affects the earliest steps of atmospheric aerosol formation, a key process influencing clouds and climate. By benchmarking quantum-chemical methods, we identified reliable approaches for modeling hydrated molecular clusters of common atmospheric acids and bases. We show that humidity moderately stabilizes certain clusters but only modestly alters particle formation rates. These findings sharpen our understanding of clusters and their role in aerosol formation.
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Aerosol formation is an important process for our global climate. While inorganic species have been shown to be important for aerosol formation, there remains a large gap in our knowledge about the exact involvement of organics. We present a new quantum chemical procedure for screening relevant organics that for the first time allows us to obtain direct molecular-level insight into the organics involved in aerosol formation.
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Yosef Knattrup and Jonas Elm
Aerosol Research, 3, 125–137, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-3-125-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-3-125-2025, 2025
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Using quantum chemical methods, we studied the uptake of first-generation oxidation products onto freshly nucleated particles (FNPs). We find that pinic acid can condense on these small FNPs at realistic atmospheric conditions, thereby contributing to early particle growth. The mechanism involves two pinic acid molecules interacting with each other, showing that direct organic–organic interactions during co-condensation onto the particle contribute to the growth.
Galib Hasan, Haide Wu, Yosef Knattrup, and Jonas Elm
Aerosol Research, 3, 101–111, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-3-101-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-3-101-2025, 2025
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Aerosol formation is an important process for our global climate. However, there are high uncertainties associated with the formation of new aerosol particles. We present quantum chemical calculations of large atmospheric molecular clusters composed of sulfuric acid (SA), ammonia (AM), and dimethylamine (DMA). We find that mixed SA–AM–DMA systems cluster more efficiently for freshly nucleated particles compared to pure SA–AM and SA–DMA systems.
Haide Wu, Yosef Knattrup, Andreas Buchgraitz Jensen, and Jonas Elm
Aerosol Research, 2, 303–314, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-2-303-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-2-303-2024, 2024
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The exact point at which a given assembly of molecules represents an atmospheric molecular cluster or a particle remains ambiguous. Using quantum chemical methods, here we explore a cluster-to-particle transition point. Based on our results, we deduce a property-based criterion for defining freshly nucleated particles (FNPs) that act as a boundary between discrete cluster configurations and bulk particles.
Astrid Nørskov Pedersen, Yosef Knattrup, and Jonas Elm
Aerosol Research, 2, 123–134, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-2-123-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-2-123-2024, 2024
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Aerosol formation is an important process for our global climate. While inorganic species have been shown to be important for aerosol formation, there remains a large gap in our knowledge about the exact involvement of organics. We present a new quantum chemical procedure for screening relevant organics that for the first time allows us to obtain direct molecular-level insight into the organics involved in aerosol formation.
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Bernadette Rosati, Sini Isokääntä, Sigurd Christiansen, Mads Mørk Jensen, Shamjad P. Moosakutty, Robin Wollesen de Jonge, Andreas Massling, Marianne Glasius, Jonas Elm, Annele Virtanen, and Merete Bilde
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Robin Wollesen de Jonge, Jonas Elm, Bernadette Rosati, Sigurd Christiansen, Noora Hyttinen, Dana Lüdemann, Merete Bilde, and Pontus Roldin
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Short summary
Aerosols, a large uncertainty in climate modeling, can be formed when gas vapors and particles begin sticking together. Traditionally, these particles are assumed to behave like hard spheres that only stick together upon head-on collisions. In reality, particles can attract each other over distances, leading to more frequent sticking events. We found that traditional models significantly undercount these events, with real sticking rates being up to 2.4 times higher.
Aerosols, a large uncertainty in climate modeling, can be formed when gas vapors and particles...
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