What to do in Europe for 3 months: Tales from an IACPES Research Exchange

Speaker: Dr. Marina Saccon

Description: A 3 month exchange was completed at the Forschungszentrum Jülich to conduct kinetic experiments of reactions of atmospheric volatile organic compounds (VOC). During the last decade, the number of publications using carbon isotope ratio measurements in studies of atmospheric VOC has been increasing substantially. Knowing the kinetic isotope effects (KIE) for the atmospheric reactions of VOC is essential for the use of isotope ratio measurement in understanding and differentiation of chemical and physical processes in the atmosphere, such as chemical reactions, dilution and transport. Ethane, the second-most abundant hydrocarbon in the background atmosphere, was chosen as the target compound since it is the only compound in which a global transport model has been made based on isotope ratios. Compared to most other VOC, the exceptionally low rate constant of ethane with the OH radical along with its high volatility have made the KIE of ethane difficult to quantify. This presentation will present the method development in the determination of the KIE of light VOC as well as the advantages of visiting an institute situated in an area within driving distance to Europe’s most interesting places.