Cloud activation of single‐component organic aerosol particles

Abstract

The organic fraction of ambient aerosols is a complex mixture of hundreds of organic compounds varying in chemical structure and physical properties. The cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) activities of single‐component organic particles were experimentally investigated. Activation diameters were determined using a Tandem Differential Mobility Analyzer and a thermal diffusion Cloud Condensation Nucleus Counter. Studies were performed at supersaturations of 0.3 and 1% with dry particle diameters ranging between 0.02 and 0.2 μm. The focus was on both hygroscopic secondary organics and hydrophobic primary organics. Laboratory experiments were performed with sodium chloride, ammonium sulfate, glutaric acid, adipic acid, pinonic acid, glutamic acid, leucine, cholesterol, pinic acid, norpinic acid, hexadecane, hexadecanol, myristic acid, palmitic acid, and stearic acid. The results were compared with the classical Köhler theory and a theory that accounts for the limited solubility of many organics. It was discovered that organic species with bulk solubilities in water less than 0.01 g cm−3 can be a good source of CCN in the atmosphere if their contact angles with water are zero. Experiments confirmed that Köhler theory works well in predicting activation of soluble inorganic species and organics that are wettable by water, while an extension of the theory appears necessary to account for the low‐solubility organic species that are not wettable by water.