Secondary organic aerosol formation from the photooxidation of p- and o-xylene.

The formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) from the photooxidation of xylene isomers (m-, p-, and o-xylenes) has been extensively investigated. The dependence of SOA aerosol formation on the structure of xylene isomers in the presence of NO was confirmed. Generally, SOA formation of p-xylene was less than that of m- and o-xylenes. This discrepancy varies significantly with initial NOx levels. In a NOx-free environment, the difference of aerosol formation between o- and p-xylenes becomes insignificant. Several chemical pathways for the SOA dependence on structure and NOx are explored, with the experimental findings indicating that organic peroxides may be a major key to explaining SOA formation from aromatic hydrocarbons.