Articles | Volume 25, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3753-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3753-2025
Research article
 | 
31 Mar 2025
Research article |  | 31 Mar 2025

Mechanistic insights into chloroacetic acid production from atmospheric multiphase volatile organic compound–chlorine chemistry

Mingxue Li, Men Xia, Chunshui Lin, Yifan Jiang, Weihang Sun, Yurun Wang, Yingnan Zhang, Maoxia He, and Tao Wang

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Subject: Gases | Research Activity: Field Measurements | Altitude Range: Troposphere | Science Focus: Chemistry (chemical composition and reactions)
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Cited articles

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Short summary
Our field campaigns observed a strong diel pattern of chloroacetic acid as well as a strong correlation between its level and that of reactive chlorine species at a coastal site. Using quantum chemical calculations and box model simulation with an updated Master Chemical Mechanism, we found that the formation pathway of chloroacetic acid involved multiphase processes. Our study enhances understanding of atmospheric organic chlorine chemistry and emphasizes the importance of multiphase reactions.
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