The uptake of 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol into aqueous mixed solutions of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide‡

Multiphase acid-catalyzed oxidation with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) has been suggested recently to be a potential route to SOA formation from isoprene and its gas-phase oxidation products, the kinetics and chemical mechanism of this process have not been well-known yet. In this work, the uptake of 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol (MBO), an important biogenic hydrocarbon and structurally similar to isoprene, into aqueous mixed solutions of H2O2 and sulfuric acid (H2SO4) was performed using a rotated wetted-wall reactor coupled to a differentially pumped single-photon ionization time of flight mass spectrometer (RWW-SPI-TOFMS). The reactive uptake coefficients (γ) were acquired for the first time and the reaction pathways were deduced according to products information. The reactive uptake coefficients of MBO into H2SO4–H2O2 mixed solutions are much greater than that into H2SO4 solutions. Acetaldehyde, acetone and an on-line product, which transformed to isoprene readily in the duration of an off-line experiment, were suggested as products in this process. The further reactions of the carbonyl products can occur in acidic solution, which may play a role in SOA formation. Additionally, in real atmosphere the on-line product is apt to transform to isoprene, an acknowledged precursor of biogenic SOA. Thus, the multiphase acid-catalyzed oxidation of MBO with H2O2 might be a potential contributor to SOA loading.