Articles | Volume 18, issue 21
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-8461-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-8461-2025
Model description paper
 | 
13 Nov 2025
Model description paper |  | 13 Nov 2025

The SAPRC atmospheric chemical mechanism generation system (MechGen)

William P. L. Carter, Jia Jiang, Zhizhao Wang, and Kelley C. Barsanti

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Derivation of atmospheric reaction mechanisms for volatile organic compounds by the SAPRC mechanism generation system (MechGen)
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Cited articles

Aumont, B., Szopa, S., and Madronich, S.: Modelling the evolution of organic carbon during its gas-phase tropospheric oxidation: development of an explicit model based on a self generating approach, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 5, 2497–2517, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-5-2497-2005, 2005. 
Bloss, C., Wagner, V., Jenkin, M. E., Volkamer, R., Bloss, W. J., Lee, J. D., Heard, D. E., Wirtz, K., Martin-Reviejo, M., Rea, G., Wenger, J. C., and Pilling, M. J.: Development of a detailed chemical mechanism (MCMv3.1) for the atmospheric oxidation of aromatic hydrocarbons, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 5, 641–664, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-5-641-2005, 2005. 
Carter, W. P. L.: A detailed mechanism for the gas-phase atmospheric reactions of organic compounds, Atmos.Environ. A, 24, 481–518, https://doi.org/10.1016/0960-1686(90)90005-8, 1990. 
Carter, W. P. L.: Development of Ozone Reactivity Scales for Volatile Organic Compounds, J. Air Waste Manage., 44, 881–899, https://doi.org/10.1080/1073161X.1994.10467290, 1994. 
Carter, W. P. L.: Documentation of the SAPRC-99 Chemical Mechanism for VOC Reactivity Assessment, Zenodo, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12600705, 2000. 
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Short summary
The SAPRC Atmospheric Chemical Mechanism Generation System (MechGen) generates explicit chemical reaction mechanisms for organic compounds. MechGen has been used for decades in the development of the widely used SAPRC mechanisms. This paper, detailing the software system, and a companion paper, detailing the chemical basis, represent the first complete documentation of MechGen. This paper includes examples and instructions for generating explicit and reduced mechanisms.
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