GC-MS analysis of reaction products in nitrogen and methane gas mixture

miscellaneous

English

Recent space missions have revolutionized our knowledge of planetary atmospheres in the solar system, most notably those of Mars and Titan. Simultaneously laboratory plasmas have been used to mimic the physical and chemical processes within such planetary atmospheres both to benchmark physico-chemical models and to interpret observations e.g. by providing plausible candidates for both spectral and mass spectrometric studies. In this paper we report the products formed in a gliding arc discharge fed by a 2 or 5% N2-CH4 gas mixture which mimics Titan atmosphere. Gas samples from the discharge exhaust were analyzed by GC-MS. Acetylene, hydrogen cyanide, and acetonitrile were found to be the major products. Minor detected products were: ethane, ethene, cyanogen, propene, propane, propyne, 1,2-propadiene, 1-butene-3-yne, 1,3-butadiene, 1,3-butadiyne, 2-propenenitrile, 2-propanenitril, 2-methylpropanenitrile, 2-methylpropanenitrile, benzene, and toluene. Whilst many of these compounds have been predicted and/or observed in Titan atmosphere the present plasma experiments provides evidence both of the chemical complexity of Titan and the mechanisms by which larger species grow prior to forming the dust that covers much of Titan surface.

Titan atmosphere, discharge products, N2-CH4 gas mixture, gliding arc, GC-MS

POLÁCHOVÁ, L.; HORVÁTH, G.; WATSON, J.; MASON, N.; KRČMA, F.; ZÁHORAN, M.; MATĚJČÍK, Š.

24. 7. 2011

IUPAC

Philadelphia

10

14

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