Journal article
Tracking Oxidized Volatile Methyl Siloxanes in New York City in Summertime
ACS ES&T air
09/03/2026
DOI: 10.1021/acsestair.6c00134
Appears in UI Libraries Support Open Access
Abstract
Volatile methyl siloxanes (VMS) are high-production anthropogenic chemicals that can undergo atmospheric oxidation to form oxidized VMS (oVMS) in the atmosphere and contribute to secondary organic aerosol (SOA). Herein, we develop an SOA tracer-based approach to estimate oVMS contributions to ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) organic carbon (OC) in New York City (NYC). oVMS including a series of siloxanols with intact D4, D5, and D6 rings were identified and semiquantified in field and laboratory chamber aerosol samples by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. oVMS were persistent in PM2.5 in NYC during summertime, with oVMS from D4 and D6 showing more atmospheric aging than D5. Statistically significant correlations among these oVMS suggest common atmospheric formation pathways. Daytime concentrations of oVMS were significantly higher than nighttime levels consistent with a photochemical source. In PM2.5, the most prominent oVMS signal was the disiloxanol which partitioned primarily to the particle phase (averaging 77%). Using the tracer-based approach, D4, D5, and D6-derived SOA was estimated to contribute 14 ± 5 ng m–3 to PM2.5 corresponding to ∼0.10% of PM2.5 organic carbon, making VMS oxidation a minor source of PM2.5 in NYC.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Tracking Oxidized Volatile Methyl Siloxanes in New York City in Summertime
- Creators
- Jeewani N. Meepage - University of IowaJosie K. Welker - University of IowaChristopher E. Brunet - University of IowaCharles O. Stanier - University of IowaElizabeth A. Stone - University of Iowa, Chemistry
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- ACS ES&T air
- DOI
- 10.1021/acsestair.6c00134
- ISSN
- 2837-1402
- eISSN
- 2837-1402
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society
- Grant note
- Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences: 2028764
We thank Lynn Teesch and Vic Parcell for their assistance with and training in the University of Iowa High Resolution Mass Spectrometry Facility (HRMSF). We thank Dr. Ricardo Toledo-Crow and Dr. Drew Gentner for their leadership in organizing and coordinating field activities in NYC-METS at the Advanced Science and Research Center NGENS Facility at the City University of New York (CUNY) for ambient PM2.5 and gaseous phase sample collection. We also thank T. Friedman, C. G. Huettman, and A. Glennon for helping with the sample preparation and analysis. We thank Hanalei R. Lewine and Eleanor C. Browne for conducting the chamber experiments, and Saeideh Mohammadi for conducting the OFR experiments. We also thank Rachel F. Marek and Keri C. Hornbuckle for guiding the gas-phase VMS measurements in NYC. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant Number AGS-2028764. The UPLC-MS/MS used in this study was acquired through the National Science Foundation (NSF) Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI) Grant Number CHE-1919422. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
- Language
- English
- Electronic publication date
- 09/03/2026
- Academic Unit
- IIHR--Hydroscience and Engineering; Chemistry; Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
- Record Identifier
- 9985224347802771
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