Atmospheric Semi- and Intermediate-Volatility Organic Compounds: Recent Progress and Future Perspectives.
- 1State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.
- 2School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, China.
Abstract
Semi-volatile and intermediate-volatility organic compounds (S/IVOCs) represent a chemically complex class of atmospheric organics that contribute substantially to secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation and may pose health risks. This review synthesizes recent advances in S/IVOC measurement, ambient concentrations and composition, spatiotemporal variations, SOA formation, and health effects. Online techniques provide high-time-resolution measurements, whereas offline GC-MS and GC×GC-MS offer superior capabilities for compound separation and identification. However, unresolved complex mixtures, sampling artifacts, limited standards, and variable instrumental responses remain major challenges. Field observations reveal pronounced differences in S/IVOC levels and composition among industrial, urban, traffic-influenced, and background environments, while seasonal and diurnal patterns vary across sites. Evidence from field observations, source-emission studies, chamber experiments, and model simulations indicates that S/IVOCs are important SOA precursors, although quantitative estimates remain subject to considerable uncertainties arising from precursor coverage, yield parameters, oxidation conditions, gas-particle partitioning, emission inventories, and model parameterizations. Current health evidence is largely confined to compounds with established toxicity data, particularly polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, whereas unresolved components and oxidation products remain poorly characterized. Overall, our synthesis suggests that the key challenge in current S/IVOC research is to reduce uncertainties across measurement, ambient characterization, SOA contribution, and health-risk assessment through standardized measurements, coordinated long-term observations, improved emission and aging representations, and broader toxicological characterization.
Related
- Energy Flow Shapes the Decomposition Dynamics of a Reactive Atmospheric Intermediate
- Chemical Alternatives Assessment: Progress and Perspectives in Hazard Characterization, Exposure Assessment, and Life Cycle Assessment
- Exchange Rate Regimes, Monetary Policy, Banking Soundness, and Exchange Rate Volatility in Developing Economies: Short-Run and Structural Evidence
- Explaining patterns learned by neural networks for detection of atmospheric surface fronts in gridded atmospheric data
- An intermediate-mass black hole of over 500 solar masses in the galaxy ESO 243-49
BibTeX
@article{ma2026atmospheric,
title = {{Atmospheric Semi- and Intermediate-Volatility Organic Compounds: Recent Progress and Future Perspectives.}},
author = {Zichen Ma and Yuanyuan Ji and Chunmei Geng and Hong Li and Xiaoli Wang and Wen Yang},
journal = {Toxics},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/toxics14100925},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42931712},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Atmospheric Semi- and Intermediate-Volatility Organic Compounds: Recent Progress and Future Perspectives.
AU - Zichen Ma
AU - Yuanyuan Ji
AU - Chunmei Geng
AU - Hong Li
AU - Xiaoli Wang
AU - Wen Yang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/19
JO - Toxics
DO - 10.3390/toxics14100925
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42931712
AB - Semi-volatile and intermediate-volatility organic compounds (S/IVOCs) represent a chemically complex class of atmospheric organics that contribute substantially to secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation and may pose health risks. This review synthesizes recent advances in S/IVOC measurement, ambient concentrations and composition, spatiotemporal variations, SOA formation, and health effects. Online techniques provide high-time-resolution measurements, whereas offline GC-MS and GC×GC-MS offer superior capabilities for compound separation and identification. However, unresolved complex mixtures, sampling artifacts, limited standards, and variable instrumental responses remain major challenges. Field observations reveal pronounced differences in S/IVOC levels and composition among industrial, urban, traffic-influenced, and background environments, while seasonal and diurnal patterns vary across sites. Evidence from field observations, source-emission studies, chamber experiments, and model simulations indicates that S/IVOCs are important SOA precursors, although quantitative estimates remain subject to considerable uncertainties arising from precursor coverage, yield parameters, oxidation conditions, gas-particle partitioning, emission inventories, and model parameterizations. Current health evidence is largely confined to compounds with established toxicity data, particularly polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, whereas unresolved components and oxidation products remain poorly characterized. Overall, our synthesis suggests that the key challenge in current S/IVOC research is to reduce uncertainties across measurement, ambient characterization, SOA contribution, and health-risk assessment through standardized measurements, coordinated long-term observations, improved emission and aging representations, and broader toxicological characterization.
SN - 2305-6304
ER -