Articles | Volume 20, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-4889-2020
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-4889-2020
Research article
 | 
27 Apr 2020
Research article |  | 27 Apr 2020

Optical properties and molecular compositions of water-soluble and water-insoluble brown carbon (BrC) aerosols in northwest China

Jianjun Li, Qi Zhang, Gehui Wang, Jin Li, Can Wu, Lang Liu, Jiayuan Wang, Wenqing Jiang, Lijuan Li, Kin Fai Ho, and Junji Cao

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Cited articles

Andreae, M. O. and Gelencser, A.: Black carbon or brown carbon? The nature of light-absorbing carbonaceous aerosols, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 6, 3131–3148, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-6-3131-2006, 2006. 
Chang, J. L. and Thompson, J. E.: Characterization of colored products formed during irradiation of aqueous solutions containing H2O2 and phenolic compounds, Atmos. Environ., 44, 541–551, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2009.10.042, 2010. 
Chen, Y. and Bond, T. C.: Light absorption by organic carbon from wood combustion, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 10, 1773–1787, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-10-1773-2010, 2010. 
Chen, Y., Ge, X., Chen, H., Xie, X., Chen, Y., Wang, J., Ye, Z., Bao, M., Zhang, Y., and Chen, M.: Seasonal light absorption properties of water-soluble brown carbon in atmospheric fine particles in Nanjing, China, Atmos. Environ., 187, 230–240, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2018.06.002, 2018. 
Cheng, Y., He, K. B., Zheng, M., Duan, F. K., Du, Z. Y., Ma, Y. L., Tan, J. H., Yang, F. M., Liu, J. M., Zhang, X. L., Weber, R. J., Bergin, M. H., and Russell, A. G.: Mass absorption efficiency of elemental carbon and water-soluble organic carbon in Beijing, China, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 11, 11497–11510, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-11-11497-2011, 2011. 
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We examined light absorption properties and molecular composition of water-soluble (WS) and water-insoluble (WI) BrC in PM2.5 collected from northwest China. We found that photochemical formation contributes significantly to light absorption of WI-BrC in summer, whereas aqueous-phase reactions play an important role in secondary WS-BrC formation in winter. BrC was estimated to account for 1.36 % and 3.74 %, respectively, of total down-welling solar radiation in the UV range in summer and winter.
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