Every day, large quantities of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted into the atmosphere from both anthropogenic and natural sources. The formation of gaseous and particulate secondary products caused by oxidation of VOCs is one of the largest unknowns in the quantitative prediction of the earth’s climate on a regional and global scale, and on the understanding of local air quality. To be able to model and control their impact, it is essential to understand the sources of VOCs, their distribution in the atmosphere and the chemical transformations which remove these compounds from the atmosphere. In recent years techniques for the analysis of organic compounds in the atmosphere have been developed to increase the spectrum of detectable compounds and their detection limits. New methods have been introduced to increase the time resolution of those measurements and to resolve more complex mixtures of organic compounds. Volatile Organic Compounds in the Atmosphere describes the current state of knowledge of the chemistry of VOCs as well as the methods and techniques to analyse gaseous and particulate organic compounds in the atmosphere. The aim is to provide an authoritative review to address the needs of both graduate students and active researchers in the field of atmospheric chemistry research.

Prepared by an international team of eminent atmospheric scientists, Mechanisms of Atmospheric Oxidation of the Oxygenates is an authoritative source of information on the role of oxygenates in the chemistry of the atmosphere. The oxygenates, including the many different alcohols, ethers, aldehydes, ketones, acids, esters, and nitrogen-atom containing oxygenates, are of special interest today due to their increased use as alternative fuels and fuel additives. This book describes the physical properties of oxygenates, as well as the chemical and photochemical parameters that determine their reaction pathways in the atmosphere. Quantitative descriptions of the pathways of the oxygenates from release or formation in the atmosphere to final products are provided, as is a comprehensive review and evaluation of the extensive kinetic literature on the atmospheric chemistry of the different oxygenates and their many halogen-atom substituted analogues. This book will be of interest to modelers of atmospheric chemistry, environmental scientists and engineers, and air quality planning agencies as a useful input for development of realistic modules designed to simulate the atmospheric chemistry of the oxygenates, their major oxidation products, and their influence on ozone and other trace gases within the troposhere.