Composition of Dissolved Organic Nitrogen in Continental Precipitation Investigated by Ultra-High Resolution FT-ICR Mass Spectrometry

The atmospheric transport of fixed nitrogen (N) is a critical component of the global N cycle that has been heavily impacted by human activities. It has been shown that organic N is an important contributor to atmospheric N, but its sources and composition are largely unknown. Rainwater samples collected in New Jersey were analyzed by negative and positive ion ultrahigh-resolution electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS). Elemental compositions of 402 N-containing compounds were determined and five main groups of compound classes were identified: compounds containing carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and N detected as positive ions (CHON+), compounds containing CHON detected as negative ions (CHON−), compounds containing CHN detected as positive ions (CHN+), and CHON compounds that contain sulfur (S) detected as both positive and negative ions (CHONS+, CHONS−, respectively). The CHON+ compound class has the largest number of compounds detected (i.e., 281), with the majority, i.e., 207, containing only one N atom. The elemental ratios of these compounds and their detection in the positive ion mode suggest that they are compounds with reduced N functionality. Known contributors to secondary organic aerosol with anthropogenic sources were also identified including organonitrate compounds and nitrooxy organosulfates.