Effects of storage conditions on the molecular-level composition of organic aerosol particles

A significant fraction of atmospheric aerosol particles, which affect both the Earth's climate and human health, can be attributed to organic compounds and especially to secondary organic aerosol (SOA). To better understand the sources and processes generating organic aerosol particles, detailed chemical characterization is necessary, and particles are often collected onto filters and subsequently analyzed by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS). A downside of such offline analysis techniques is the uncertainty regarding artifactual changes in composition occurring during sample collection, storage, extraction and analysis. The goal of this work was to characterize how storage conditions and storage time can affect the chemical composition of SOA generated from β-pinene and naphthalene, as well as from urban atmospheric aerosol samples. SOA samples were produced in the laboratory using an aerosol flow tube and were collected onto PTFE filters, whereas ambient samples were collected onto quartz filters with a high-volume air sampler. To characterize temporal changes in SOA composition, all samples were extracted and analyzed immediately after collection but were also stored as aqueous extracts or as filters for 24 h and up to 4 weeks at three different temperatures of +20, −20 or −80 ∘C in order to assess whether a lower storage temperature would be favorable. Analysis was conducted using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC–HRMS). Both principal component analysis (PCA) and time series of selected compounds were analyzed to identify the compositional changes over time. We show that the chemical composition of organic aerosols remained stable during low-temperature storage conditions, while storage at room temperature led to significant changes over time, even at short storage times of only 1 d. This indicates that it is necessary to freeze samples immediately after collection, and this requirement is especially important when automated ambient sampling devices are used where filters might be stored in the device for several days before being transferred to a laboratory.