Spatiotemporally Resolved pH Measurement in Aerosol Microdroplets Undergoing Chloride Depletion: An Application of In Situ Raman Microspectrometry

Anal Chem. 2022 Nov 1;94(43):15132-15138. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c03381. Epub 2022 Oct 17.

Abstract

Acidity is a defining property of atmospheric aerosols that profoundly affects environmental systems, human health, and climate. However, directly measuring the pH of aerosol microdroplets remains a challenge, especially when the microdroplets' composition is nonhomogeneous or dynamically evolving or both. As a result, a pH measurement technique with high spatiotemporal resolution is needed. Here, we report a spatiotemporally resolved pH measurement technique in microdroplets using spontaneous Raman spectroscopy. Our target sample was the microdroplets comprising sodium chloride and oxalic acid─laboratory surrogates of sea spray aerosols and water-soluble organic compounds, respectively. Our measurements show that the chloride depletion from the microdroplets caused a continuous increase in pH by ∼0.5 units in 2 hours. Meanwhile, the surface propensity of chloride anions triggers a stable pH gradient inside a single droplet, with the pH at the droplet surface lower than that at the core by ∼ 0.4 units. The uncertainties arising from the Raman detection limit (±0.08 pH units) and from the nonideal solution conditions (-0.06 pH units) are constrained. Our findings indicate that spontaneous Raman spectroscopy is a simple yet robust technique for precise pH measurement in aerosols with high spatiotemporal resolution.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aerosols / chemistry
  • Chlorides*
  • Halogens
  • Humans
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Spectrum Analysis, Raman* / methods
  • Water / chemistry

Substances

  • Chlorides
  • Aerosols
  • Water
  • Halogens