Thermochromism of model organic aerosol matter

Laboratory experiments show that the optical absorptivity of model organic matter is not an intrinsic property, but a strong function of relative humidity, temperature, and insolation. Suites of representative polyfunctional C_xH_yO_z oligomers in water develop intense visible absorptions upon addition of inert electrolytes. The resulting mixtures reach mass absorption cross sections σ(532 nm) ~ 0.1 m²/gC in a few hours, absorb up to 9 times more solar radiation than the starting material, can be half-bleached by noon sunlight in ~1 h, and can be repeatedly recycled without carbon loss. Visible absorptions red-shift and evolve increasingly faster in subsequent thermal aging cycles. Thermochromism and its strong direct dependences on ionic strength and temperature are ascribed to the dehydration of >CH-C(OH)< groups into >C=C< unsaturations by a polar E1 mechanism, and bleaching to photoinduced retrohydration. These transforma-tions are deemed to underlie the daily cycles of aerosol absorption observed in the field, and may introduce a key feedback in the earth's radiative balance.