Photochemistry of the indoor air pollutant acetone on Degussa P25 TiO ₂ studied by chemical ionization mass spectrometry

We have used chemical ionization mass spectrometry (CIMS) to study the adsorption and photochemistry of several oxygenated organic species adsorbed to Degussa P25 TiO₂, an inexpensive catalyst that can be used to mineralize volatile organic compounds. The molecules examined in this work include the common indoor air pollutant acetone and several of its homologs and possible oxidation and condensation products that may be formed during the adsorption and/or photocatalytic degradation of acetone on titanium dioxide catalysts. We report nonreactive uptake coefficients for acetone, formic acid, acetic acid, mesityl oxide, and diacetone alcohol, and results from photochemical studies that quantify, on a per-molecule basis, the room-temperature photocatalytic conversion of the species under investigation to CO₂ and related oxidation products. The data presented here imply that catalytic surfaces that enhance formate and acetate production from acetone precursors will facilitate the photocatalytic remediation of acetone in indoor environments, even at room temperature.