Oxidation of Gas-Phase SO2 on the Surfaces of Acidic Microdroplets: Implications for Sulfate and Sulfate Radical Anion Formation in the Atmospheric Liquid Phase

The oxidation of SO2(g) on the interfacial layers of microdroplet surfaces was investigated using a spray-chamber reactor coupled to an electrospray ionization mass spectrometer. Four major ions, HSO3(-), SO3(•-), SO4(•-) and HSO4(-), were observed as the SO2(g)/N2(g) gas-mixture was passed through a suspended microdroplet flow, where the residence time in the dynamic reaction zone was limited to a few hundred microseconds. The relatively high signal intensities of SO3(•-), SO4(•-), and HSO4(-) compared to those of HSO3(-) as observed at pH < 3 without addition of oxidants other than oxygen suggests an efficient oxidation pathway via sulfite and sulfate radical anions on droplets possibly via the direct interfacial electron transfer from HSO3(-) to O2. The concentrations of HSO3(-) in the aqueous aerosol as a function of pH were controlled by the deprotonation of hydrated sulfur dioxide, SO2·H2O, which is also affected by the pH dependent uptake coefficient. When H2O2(g) was introduced into the spray chamber simultaneously with SO2(g), HSO3(-) is rapidly oxidized to form bisulfate in the pH range of 3 to 5. Conversion to sulfate was less at pH < 3 due to relatively low HSO3(-) concentration caused by the fast interfacial reactions. The rapid oxidation of SO2(g) on the acidic microdroplets was estimated as 1.5 × 10(6) [S(IV)] (M s(-1)) at pH ≤ 3. In the presence of acidic aerosols, this oxidation rate is approximately 2 orders of magnitude higher than the rate of oxidation with H2O2(g) at a typical atmospheric H2O2(g) concentration of 1 ppb. This finding highlights the relative importance of the acidic surfaces for SO2 oxidation in the atmosphere. Surface chemical reactions on aquated aerosol surfaces, as observed in this study, are overlooked in most atmospheric chemistry models. These reaction pathways may contribute to the rapid production of sulfate aerosols that is often observed in regions impacted by acidic haze aerosol such as Beijing and other megacities around the world.