Chemistry of Evaporating Charged Alcohol Microdroplets in Humid Environments
Wen Zhang, Kedong Gong, Vicki H. Grassian · 2026
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Description
Wen Zhang, Kedong Gong, and Vicki Grassian study in 2026 the chemistry inside single evaporating alcohol droplets in humid air. Past work timed the physics of such droplets but left chemistry aside. Water microdroplets show odd reactivity, which hints that alcohol drops may react too.
Charged drops of a long alcohol form an aldehyde, an acid, and an ester as they dry. No reaction runs in dry air, and labeled water tests point to water as the oxidant. Drops with little charge show no reaction at all. The team proposes charge buildup at the surface wakes water into radicals that start the chain.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Wen Zhang, Kedong Gong, Vicki H. Grassian |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 14 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |