Authors: L.A. Capone, J. Dubach, S.S. Prasad, R.C. Whitten The electromagnetic and particle cascade resulting from the absorption of galactic cosmic rays in the atmosphere of Titan is shown to be an important mechanism for driving the photochemistry at pressures of 1 to 50 mbar in the atmosphere. In particular, the cosmic ray cascade dissociates N2, a process necessary for…
Authors: T. Gautier, N. Carrasco, A. Buch, C. Szopa, E. Sciamma-O’Brien, G. Cernogora, This work presents the first study of the gaseous products resulting from the partial dissociation of meth- ane and nitrogen in the PAMPRE experimental setup simulating Titan’s atmospheric chemistry. Using cryogenic trapping, the gaseous products generated from the chemical reactions occurring in the reactor have been trapped….
Authors: M. Ferus, P. Kubelík, A. Knízek, A. Pastorek, J. Sutherland, S. Civiš Recent results in prebiotic chemistry implicate hydrogen cyanide (HCN) as the source of carbon and nitrogen for the synthesis of nucleotide, amino acid and lipid building blocks. HCN can be produced during impact events by reprocessing of carbonaceous and nitrogenous materials from both the impactor and the…
Authors: M. Civiš, M. Ferus, A. Knížek, P. Kubelik, M. Kamas, P. Španel, K. Drahina, V. Shestivska, L. Juha, P. Skrehot, V. Laitl, S. Civiš Large-scale plasma was created in gas mixtures containing methane using high-power laser-induced dielectric breakdown (LIDB). The composition of the mixtures corresponded to a cometary and/or meteoritic impact into the early atmosphere of either Titan or…
Authors: Z. D. Draganić, V. Niketić, S. Jovanović, I. G. Draganić Oxygen-free aqueous solutions of NH4CN (0.1 M, pH 9) were exposed to gamma rays from a60Co source, the mixture of nonvolatile products was fractionated, and the fractions were analyzed. The procedures were chosen to make effective investigations of radiolytic products, and to minimize the contributions of chemical changes which…
Authors: R. A. Sanchez, J. P. Ferris, L. E. Orgel Cyanoacetylene is a major nitrogen-containing product of the action of an electric discharge on a mixture of methane and nitrogen. It reacts with simple inorganic substances in aqueous solution to give products including aspartic acid, asparagine, and cytosine. 10.1126/science.154.3750.784