Organic aerosol yields from α-pinene oxidation: bridging the gap between first-generation yields and aging chemistry.

Secondary organic aerosol formation from volatile precursors can be thought of as a succession of generations of reaction products. Here, we constrain first-generation SOA formation from the α-pinene + OH reaction and also study SOA formation from α-pinene ozonolysis carried out without an OH scavenger. SOA yields from OH oxidation of α-pinene are significantly higher than SOA yields from ozonolysis including an OH scavenger, and the SOA mass yields for unscavenged ozonolysis generally fall within the range of mass yields for α-pinene ozonolysis under various conditions. Taken together, first-generation product yields parametrized with a volatility basis set fit provide a starting point for atmospheric models designed to simulate both the production and subsequent aging of SOA from this important terpene.