Hydroxyl radical yields from reactions of terpene mixtures with ozone

Abstract

Chamber studies were conducted to quantify hydroxyl radical (OH·) yields and to determine whether water vapor affected OH· formation in the reactions of ozone (O(3)) with a single terpene, two-component terpene mixtures, and a commercial pine oil cleaning product (POC). Solid-phase microextraction fibers (SPME) were used for sampling the terpenes and the 2-butanone formation from the hydroxyl reaction with 2-butanol as a measure of OH· yields. Analyses were performed using gas chromatography with flame ionization detection. The individual terpenes' OH· yields from α-terpineol, limonene, and α-pinene were 64 ± 8%, 64 ± 6%, and 76 ± 6%, respectively. OH· yields were also measured from two-component mixtures of these terpenes. In each mixture that contained α-terpineol, the overall OH· yield was lower than the modeled OH· yields of the individual components that comprised the reaction mixture. Reactions of a commercial POC with O(3) were also studied to determine how the individual terpenes react in a complex mixture system, and an OH· formation yield of 51 ± 6% was measured. Relative humidity did not have a significant effect on the OH· formation in the mixtures studied here.

Practical implications: The data presented here demonstrate that mixtures may react differently than the sum of their individual components. By investigating the chemistry of mixtures of chemicals in contrast to the chemistry of individual compounds, a better assessment can be made of the overall impact cleaning products have on indoor environments.