Articles | Volume 15, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-55-2015
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-55-2015
Research article
 | 
07 Jan 2015
Research article |  | 07 Jan 2015

On the composition of ammonia–sulfuric-acid ion clusters during aerosol particle formation

S. Schobesberger, A. Franchin, F. Bianchi, L. Rondo, J. Duplissy, A. Kürten, I. K. Ortega, A. Metzger, R. Schnitzhofer, J. Almeida, A. Amorim, J. Dommen, E. M. Dunne, M. Ehn, S. Gagné, L. Ickes, H. Junninen, A. Hansel, V.-M. Kerminen, J. Kirkby, A. Kupc, A. Laaksonen, K. Lehtipalo, S. Mathot, A. Onnela, T. Petäjä, F. Riccobono, F. D. Santos, M. Sipilä, A. Tomé, G. Tsagkogeorgas, Y. Viisanen, P. E. Wagner, D. Wimmer, J. Curtius, N. M. Donahue, U. Baltensperger, M. Kulmala, and D. R. Worsnop

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Cited articles

Ball, S. M., Hanson, D. R., Eisele, F. L., and McMurry, P. H.: Laboratory studies of particle nucleation: Initial results for H2SO4, H2O, and NH3 vapors, J. Geophys. Res., 104, 23709–23718, 1999.
Bianchi, F., Dommen, J., Mathot, S., and Baltensperger, U.: On-line determination of ammonia at low pptv mixing ratios in the CLOUD chamber, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 5, 1719–1725, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-5-1719-2012, 2012.
Bzdek, B. R., Ridge, D. P., and Johnston, M. V.: Size-dependent reactions of ammonium bisulfate clusters with dimethylamine, J. Phys. Chem. A, 114, 11638–11644, 2010.
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We used an ion mass spectrometer at CERN's CLOUD chamber to investigate the detailed composition of ammonia--sulfuric acid ion clusters (of both polarities) as they initially form and then grow into aerosol particles, at atmospherically relevant conditions. We found that these clusters’ composition is mainly determined by the ratio of the precursor vapors and ranges from ammonia-free clusters to clusters containing > 1 ammonia per sulfuric acid. Acid--base bindings are a key formation mechanism.
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