Investigating the photosensitized chemistry of proxies for tropospheric brown carbon
Abstract
• The brown carbon proxy 1,4-naphthoquinone generates reactive triplet states that act as potent endogenous oxidants in aqueous aerosols, efficiently abstracting hydrogen from organic compounds with a kinetic hierarchy (alkanes < oxygenated alkanes < phenols) governed by bond dissociation energy (BDE) and oxidation potential (OP). This self-amplifying, oxygen-independent photochemical mechanism represents a key pathway for secondary organic aerosol growth under haze conditions. Brown carbon (BrC) profoundly influences secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation via photosensitized reactions in atmospheric condensed phases, yet the intrinsic oxidative power of its excited triplet state remains mechanistically unresolved. We reveal that the BrC proxy 1,4-naphthoquinone (NQ) undergoes dual photochemical pathways in deoxygenated aqueous systems, simultaneous self-photoconversion and substrate oxidation, enabled by two distinct, long-lived triplet states ( 3 NQ* and 3 OH-NQ*) with 3 (n, π*) configurations generated under 355 nm irradiation. Crucially, 3 NQ* acts as an endogenous oxidant, driving efficient hydrogen abstraction from key organic classes without requiring external oxidants. Oxidation kinetics exhibit a striking hierarchy governed by bond dissociation energies and one-electron oxidation potentials: alkanes (10 4 M −1 s −1 ) < oxygenated alkanes (10 5 M −1 s −1 ) < phenols (10 6 M −1 s −1 ). Radical intermediates (alkyl, alkoxyl, phenoxy) dehydrogenate into stable products (e.g., benzoquinone from phenol), while the self-photoconversion product OH-NQ regenerates a secondary triplet ( 3 OH-NQ*), amplifying oxidative cascades. This establishes 3 BrC* as the dominant sink for phenols in BrC-rich haze, particularly under acidic, O 2 -limited conditions. Our findings provide kinetic and mechanistic benchmarks for integrating triplet-state chemistry into atmospheric models, advancing predictions of SOA formation in regions plagued by severe particulate pollution.
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BibTeX
@article{kong2026investigating,
title = {{Investigating the photosensitized chemistry of proxies for tropospheric brown carbon}},
author = {J. Kong and M. He and J. Liu and X. Wang and S. Perrier and T. An and C. George},
journal = {Journal of Environmental Sciences},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1016/j.jes.2025.10.037},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05741776v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Investigating the photosensitized chemistry of proxies for tropospheric brown carbon
AU - J. Kong
AU - M. He
AU - J. Liu
AU - X. Wang
AU - S. Perrier
AU - T. An
AU - C. George
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/08
JO - Journal of Environmental Sciences
DO - 10.1016/j.jes.2025.10.037
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05741776v1
AB - • The brown carbon proxy 1,4-naphthoquinone generates reactive triplet states that act as potent endogenous oxidants in aqueous aerosols, efficiently abstracting hydrogen from organic compounds with a kinetic hierarchy (alkanes < oxygenated alkanes < phenols) governed by bond dissociation energy (BDE) and oxidation potential (OP). This self-amplifying, oxygen-independent photochemical mechanism represents a key pathway for secondary organic aerosol growth under haze conditions. Brown carbon (BrC) profoundly influences secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation via photosensitized reactions in atmospheric condensed phases, yet the intrinsic oxidative power of its excited triplet state remains mechanistically unresolved. We reveal that the BrC proxy 1,4-naphthoquinone (NQ) undergoes dual photochemical pathways in deoxygenated aqueous systems, simultaneous self-photoconversion and substrate oxidation, enabled by two distinct, long-lived triplet states ( 3 NQ* and 3 OH-NQ*) with 3 (n, π*) configurations generated under 355 nm irradiation. Crucially, 3 NQ* acts as an endogenous oxidant, driving efficient hydrogen abstraction from key organic classes without requiring external oxidants. Oxidation kinetics exhibit a striking hierarchy governed by bond dissociation energies and one-electron oxidation potentials: alkanes (10 4 M −1 s −1 ) < oxygenated alkanes (10 5 M −1 s −1 ) < phenols (10 6 M −1 s −1 ). Radical intermediates (alkyl, alkoxyl, phenoxy) dehydrogenate into stable products (e.g., benzoquinone from phenol), while the self-photoconversion product OH-NQ regenerates a secondary triplet ( 3 OH-NQ*), amplifying oxidative cascades. This establishes 3 BrC* as the dominant sink for phenols in BrC-rich haze, particularly under acidic, O 2 -limited conditions. Our findings provide kinetic and mechanistic benchmarks for integrating triplet-state chemistry into atmospheric models, advancing predictions of SOA formation in regions plagued by severe particulate pollution.
SN - 1001-0742
ER -