Dataset: Results of diel cycle experiments including the full range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by the diatom P. tricornutum during laboratory experiments conduced in October of 2023

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were collected from axenic Phaeodactylum tricornutum (urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:175584) every 2 hours across a diel cycle using proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectroscopy (PTR-TOF/MS; Ionicon, Austria) as previously described (Moore et al., 2020). Autoclaved f/2+Si media and HPLC-grade water were measured alongside the samples as blank (background) controls. 100 ml culture, media, or HPLC water was transferred to a dynamic stripping chamber (Halsey et al., 2017)and bubbled with breathing-grade air passed first through a hydrocarbon trap and then through a glass frit in the bottom of the chamber at 50 ml min^-1 for 5 min to strip VOCs from the sample. 

The stripped gasses were directed into the PTR-ToF/MS for measurement via soft ionization with H₃O⁺. The mass spectrum (30-240 a.m.u.) was acquired at 5 s intervals. 

PTR-TOF/MS data were analyzed using PTR viewer 3.4.3 (Ionicon Analytik).