The seminar was given by Associate Professor Nanna Myllys.

(EN) IUPAC GWB (Global Women’s Breakfast) in Finland 2025, 11.2.2025 9-10 am,

On 11 February 2025, the IUPAC GWB2025 connected 449 events in 78 countries. Held in conjunction with the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the goal of “The Breakfast” is to establish an active network of people to overcome the barriers to gender equality in science. Over the last seven years, nearly 2500 GWB have been held in 100 countries.

The Finnish Chemical Society organised a GWB event at the Chemicum of the University of Helsinki. Traditionally, the speaker is a female chemist, and this time the seminar was given by Associate Professor Nanna Myllys. Here is a short summary of the topic:

Formation, Clustering, and Atmospheric Impact of Clusterable Organic Compounds

Atmospheric aerosol particles have a critical impact on Earth’s radiative balance and human health. Oxygenated organic molecules play an important role in the formation and growth of aerosol particles. To contribute to initial steps of particle formation, a compound must either condense from the gas to the particle phase or undergo cluster-phase proton-transfer or other chemical reaction. I define a clusterable organic compound (COC) to be an oxygenated organic molecule which can participate stable cluster formation under atmospheric conditions. Due to the limited knowledge of the formation, structures, and properties of COCs, the exact mechanisms for the formation of aerosol particles remain puzzling. In this presentation, I will show our recent findings of COC formation and clustering mechanisms as well as discuss why accurate quantum chemical studies are needed to understand molecule–climate integration.