. 24/7 Space News .
CARBON WORLDS
Method of tracking reactions between air and carbon-based compounds established
by Staff Writers
Blacksburg VA (SPX) Mar 01, 2018

When a certain compound is introduced into the atmosphere, it chemically reacts to form other compounds and molecules over time, explains Isaacman-VanWertz, who began this research as a post-doctoral research fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with study co-author Jesse Kroll.

By being the first to fully track the changing chemistry of carbon molecules in the air, a Virginia Tech professor could change the way we study pollutants, smog, and emissions to the atmosphere.

Gabriel Isaacman-VanWertz, lead scientist on a new study published in Nature Chemistry and assistant professor in Virginia Tech's department of civil and environmental engineering, has established a method of tracking reactions between air and carbon-based compounds - a feat that has been previously elusive to researchers.

This new finding could allow researchers to study pollution, smog, and haze in a comprehensive way, backed by data that accurately depicts a compound's behavior over time.

"There are tens of thousands of different compounds in the atmosphere," Isaacman-VanWertz said. "In general, the focus of my work is to study the chemistry of how those tens of thousands of compounds interact with each other and change with time."

When a certain compound is introduced into the atmosphere, it chemically reacts to form other compounds and molecules over time, explains Isaacman-VanWertz, who began this research as a post-doctoral research fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with study co-author Jesse Kroll.

Isaacman-VanWertz is particularly focused on studying the way the atmosphere interacts with organic compounds - the carbon-containing compounds that make up all living things. Large amounts of these compounds are emitted from natural sources and human activities.

Anything with a scent emits organic compounds: citrus, vinegar, nail polish remover, and gasoline, for example. Once these emitted compounds enter the atmosphere, they change in complex ways to form hundreds or thousands of other compounds.

Previously, tracking the way the carbon changes once it enters the atmosphere has been a challenge. Thanks to tools developed in the past decade, this study found that complete measurement of carbon in the atmosphere is now possible, though it still requires state-of-the-art instruments and careful analysis.

For this project, Isaacman-VanWertz studied the smell of pine, which is made of an organic compound known as pinene.

Isaacman-VanWertz and his collaborators at MIT used five spectrometers - advanced pieces of equipment that classify chemicals by their masses and the atoms they contain - to measure the characteristics of carbon inside a Teflon bag the height of a person in a climate-controlled, blacklight-outfitted room.

When they turned on the blacklights, it was like turning on the sun, Isaacman-VanWertz said. The light of the "sun" spurred the chemistry of the pinene inside the chamber and simulated the reactions that would occur in the atmosphere.

Each spectrometer was tasked with collecting a certain set of data throughout the elapsed reaction, like tracking specific ranges of chemical compounds. One of the hardest parts of this experiment was putting all of these measurements on the same scale, Isaacman-VanWertz said. Understanding the specific details and measurements of each instrument can be so complex, he said, there are doctoral students writing entire theses on these topics.

Isaacman-VanWertz and his collaborators were able to, for the first time, fully track the carbon in the pinene molecules from start to finish as they underwent chemical changes as they would in the atmosphere. The carbon atoms in pinene do not disappear after their initial introduction to the atmosphere - they turn into hundreds of different compounds through a cascade of chemical reactions.

Although the initial mixture of compounds formed from reactions of pinene is very complex, all the carbon was found to end up in "reservoirs" that are relatively stable and won't react further in the atmosphere.

What's more, the process is likely similar for other carbon-based compounds. Isaacman-VanWertz picked pinene because it has been extensively studied, so he could use previous work to make sense of his observations.

Though pinene is naturally emitted, its behavior is comparable enough to better anticipate the way other compounds, like those in pollutants, smog, and haze, will react in the air. Understanding this helps "paint a big picture of the atmosphere," Isaacman-VanWertz said.

For example, these results will help other researchers understand how pollutants from a power plant might transform in the atmosphere and impact a downwind community.

"If you can understand how the chemistry happens, then you can understand what sorts of pollutants will be in the atmosphere based on how far from a polluting source you are," Isaacman-VanWertz explained.

Isaacman-VanWertz hopes other researchers will build upon the results of this study. He wants to know whether the tendency of emitted compounds to end up as long-lived atmospheric components is generally applicable to other compounds and how this process might coexist or compete with other processes occurring in the atmosphere.

Research paper


Related Links
Virginia Tech
Carbon Worlds - where graphite, diamond, amorphous, fullerenes meet


Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


CARBON WORLDS
In a first, tiny diamond anvils trigger chemical reactions by squeezing
Menlo Park CA (SPX) Feb 26, 2018
Scientists have turned the smallest possible bits of diamond and other super-hard specks into "molecular anvils" that squeeze and twist molecules until chemical bonds break and atoms exchange electrons. These are the first such chemical reactions triggered by mechanical pressure alone, and researchers say the method offers a new way to do chemistry at the molecular level that is greener, more efficient and much more precise. The research was led by scientists from the Department of Energy's SLAC N ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

CARBON WORLDS
Ensuring fresh air for all

Vice President Pence Hosts National Space Council at NASA's Kennedy Space Center

Trump's Privatized ISS 'Not Impossible,' but Would Require 'Renegotiation'

Japanese, US astronauts end spacewalk to fix robotic arm

CARBON WORLDS
SLS Intertank loaded for shipment, structural testing

Space-X lobs Spanish military satellite into orbit

RS-25 Engine Throttles Up for Deep Space Exploration

Russia jails four for embezzling millions from cosmodrome project

CARBON WORLDS
Seven ways Mars InSight is different

Nearly a Decade After Mars Phoenix Landed, Another Look

Opportunity Continues to Benefit from Dust Cleaning of the Solar Panels

ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter ready to start sniffing the methane

CARBON WORLDS
Long March rockets on ambitious mission in 2018

Chinese taikonauts maintain indomitable spirit in space exploration: senior officer

China launches first shared education satellite

China's first X-ray space telescope put into service after in-orbit tests

CARBON WORLDS
Goonhilly goes deep space

Iridium Certus broadband readies for DOD wsers with COMSAT

Airbus and human spaceflight: from Spacelab to Orion

Iridium Announces First Land-Mobile Service Providers for Iridium Certus

CARBON WORLDS
Silk fibers could be high-tech 'natural metamaterials'

Squid skin could be the solution to camouflage material

Atomic structure of ultrasound material not what anyone expected

Sixty years of technology in space - what's changed?

CARBON WORLDS
Study: Mushrooms became hallucinogenic to keep away insects

Asteroid 'time capsules' may help explain how life started on Earth

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite arrives at KSC for launch

Humans will actually react pretty well to news of alien life

CARBON WORLDS
New Horizons captures record-breaking images in the Kuiper Belt

Europa and Other Planetary Bodies May Have Extremely Low-Density Surfaces

JUICE ground control gets green light to start development

New Year 2019 offers new horizons at MU69 flyby









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.