Yields of glyoxal and ring-cleavage co-products from the OH radical-initiated reactions of naphthalene and selected alkylnaphthalenes

Abstract

Naphthalene and alkylnaphthalenes are the most abundant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons present in ambient air and are transformed mainly by chemical reaction with hydroxyl (OH) radicals during daylight hours. To better understand the reaction mechanisms, we have quantified glyoxal from the OH radical-initiated reactions of naphthalene, 1-methylnaphthalene, 1,4-dimethylnaphthalene, acenaphthene, and acenaphthylene as a function of the NO(2) concentration and, for the naphthalene reaction, also in the absence of NO(2). Glyoxal was formed as a first-generation product from the naphthalene, 1-methylnaphthalene, 1,4-dimethylnaphthalene, and acenaphthene reactions, and its yields were independent of the NO(2) concentration over the ranges employed, being 5% in the presence of NO(2) and 3% in the absence of NO(2) from naphthalene; approximately 3% from 1-methylnaphthalene; approximately 2% from 1,4-dimethylnaphthalene; approximately 10-15% from acenaphthene; and <2% from acenaphthylene. Second-generation formation of glyoxal was evident in the 1-methylnaphthalene, 1,4-dimethylnaphthalene, and acenaphthene reactions. For the naphthalene reaction, our results suggest that the reactions of the OH-naphthalene adducts with NO(2) and O(2) both lead to glyoxal formation in similar yield. Simultaneous measurements of phthaldialdehyde from naphthalene, 2-acetylbenzaldehyde from 1-methylnaphthalene, and 1,2-diacetylbenzene from 1,4-dimethylnaphthalene suggest that these C(n-2)-dicarbonyls are coproducts to glyoxal.