| Popis: |
We report 4-h average concentration data for acetone, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and carbon monoxide measured in downtown Denver, Colorado, USA from January through December 1993. The correlations between these carbonyl compounds and CO measurements suggest that motor vehicles are a significant source for all three carbonyls, particularly during the winter. The diurnal character of the concentrations of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde suggests that there is at least a small net photochemical source for these compounds during the summer. The diurnal character of the acetone concentration suggests that there is a significant net photochemical source for acetone during the summer. An analysis of the initial photochemical production and loss processes for these carbonyls under typical atmospheric conditions suggests that the production and loss processes for formaldehyde nearly balance. This same analysis for the other carbonyls suggests that there should be a large net photochemical source for both acetaldehyde and acetone. Such a large photochemical source is not observed for acetaldehyde. Acetone is relatively unreactive in the atmosphere on a timescale of urban or regional interest. Thus, atmospheric measurements of acetone concentrations may serve as a useful indicator of the photochemical age or degree of photochemical processing of an air mass. |
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