Gas-phase absorption cross sections of 24 monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the UV and IR spectral ranges

Absorption cross sections of 24 volatile and non-volatile derivatives of benzene in the ultraviolet (UV) and the infrared (IR) regions of the electromagnetic spectrum have been determined using a 1080 l quartz cell. For the UV a 0.5 m Czerny-Turner spectrometer coupled with a photodiode array detector (spectral resolution 0.15 nm) was used. IR spectra were recorded with an FT-IR spectrometer (Bruker IFS-88, spectral resolution 1 cm-1). Absolute absorption cross sections and the instrument function are given for the UV, while for the IR, absorption cross sections and integrated band intensities are reported. The study focused primarily on the atmospherically relevant methylated benzenes (benzene, toluene, o-xylene, m-xylene, p-xylene, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene, ethylbenzene, styrene) and their ring retaining oxidation products (benzaldehyde, o-tolualdehyde, m-tolualdehyde, p-tolualdehyde, phenol, o-cresol, m-cresol, p-cresol, 2,3-dimethylphenol, 2,4-dimethylphenol, 2,5-dimethylphenol, 2,6-dimethylphenol, 3,4-dimethylphenol, 3,5-dimethylphenol, 2,4,6-trimethylphenol and (E,Z)- and (E,E)-2,4-hexadienedial). The UV absorption cross sections reported here can be used for the evaluation of DOAS spectra (Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy) for measurements of the above compounds in the atmosphere and in reaction chambers, while the IR absorption cross sections will primarily be useful in laboratory studies on atmospheric chemistry, where FT-IR spectrometry is an important tool.