Atmospheric Chemistry of Oxygenated Volatile Organic Compounds: Impacts on Air Quality and Climate
Abstract
It is hard to overstate the importance of oxygenated organic
compounds in atmospheric chemistry. Oxygenated organic
compounds are emitted into the atmosphere from natural and
man-made sources, and they are formed in the atmosphere as
oxidation products of all hydrocarbons present in the
atmosphere. Oxygenated volatile organic compounds
(OVOCs) are generally more reactive than the alkanes from
which they are derived. OVOCs play an active role in the
sequence of chemical reactions responsible for tropospheric
ozone formation in both polluted and remote environments.