Hygroscopic behavior and phase state of mixed NH₄NO₃ /amino acids particles by microscopy and IR technology

Water-soluble amino acids have been confirmed as effective cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) materials. While their influence on the hygroscopicity of nitrates is still scarcely known. In this work, ammonium nitrate (AN) was mixed with glycine and alanine at various mole ratios to form internally mixed particles deposited onto a solid substrate, whose hygroscopic properties and phase states of ingredients were investigated using microscope and attenuated total reflection-Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). For mixed AN/amino acid particles with abundant inorganic, AN crystallizes at lower RH than that of pure AN, while deliquescence relative humidities (DRHs) were close to pure AN. On hydration, the mixture composed of bis(amino acid) nitrates and mono(amino acid) nitrates formed at 14.6–60.8% RH and 23.6%–60.0% RH for AN/glycine and AN/alanine particles, respectively. When the inorganic and organic components were mixed with equal mole ratio, gradual water uptake and release took place due to the hygroscopic interplay between components. In the mixed particles with abundant amino acids, glycine and alanine still kept solid at highest RH on hydration. Hydrogen bonding interaction should account for the mutual suppression on individual crystal formation. The present hygroscopic study would help people understanding cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) ability of amino acids in atmosphere.