Absolute Intensities of the Infrared Bands of Gaseous Acrylonitrile

Laboratory spectral data (peak positions and integrated band intensities) of the infrared bands of acrylonitrile (CH2CHCN) gas in the region 4000-220 cm-1 are presented. Even though CH2CHCN has not yet been identified in Titan's atmosphere, it is among the possible photochemical and cosmic irradiation products of CH4 + N2 chemistry in the atmosphere of Titan. Laboratory simulations of Titan's atmospheric chemistry also give CH2CHCN as a product species. The results of our evaluation of the infrared intensity data provide an upper limit of the stratospheric abundance of CH2CHCN. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

New insights into Titan's organic chemistry in the gas and aerosol phases

Titan, the largest satellite of Saturn, with a dense atmosphere very rich in organics, and many couplings in the various parts of its "geofluid", is a reference for studying prebiotic chemistry on a planetary scale. New data have been obtained from experiments simulating this organic chemistry (gas and aerosol phases), within the right ranges of temperature and a careful avoiding of any chemical contamination. They show a very good agreement with the observational data, demonstrating for the first time the formation of all the organic species already detected in Titan atmosphere including, at last, C4N2, together with many other species not yet detected in Titan. This strongly suggests the presence of more complex organics in Titan's atmosphere and surface, including high molecular weight polyynes and cyanopolyynes. The NASA-ESA Cassini-Huygens mission has been successfully launched in October 1997. The Cassini spacecraft will reach the Saturn system in 2004 and become an orbiter around Saturn, while the Huygens probe will penetrate into Titan's atmosphere. In situ measurements, in particular from Huygens GC-MS and ACP instruments, will provide a detailed analysis of the organics present in the air, aerosols, and surface. This very ambitious mission should yield much information of crucial importance for our knowledge of the complexity of Titan's chemistry, and, more generally for the field of exobiology.

HCN formation under electron impact: experimental studies and application to Neptune's atmosphere

Laboratory experiments simulating organic synthesis in Neptune's atmosphere have been performed. We have submitted to a spark discharge gaseous mixtures containing 9 mbar of molecular nitrogen and 3 mbar of methane (the p(N2)/p(CH4) ratio is compatible with upper limits in Neptune's stratosphere) with varying quantities of molecular hydrogen. The spark discharge is used to model the energetic electrons produced by the impact of cosmic rays on the high atmosphere of Neptune. HCN is synthesized in the described experimental conditions, even with a low mixing ratio of molecular nitrogen. Studying the variation of HCN production with the initial composition of the gas mixture and extrapolating to high mixing ratio of molecular hydrogen allows to estimate HCN production in Neptune's atmosphere. The computed HCN production flux is 7x10(7) m-2 s-1, which is two orders of magnitude lower than the value predicted by chemical models for an internal source of N atoms. The major uncertainty in our extrapolation is the energetic distribution of electrons, implicitly assumed comparable in the discharge and in Neptune's atmosphere. We note that this distribution is also a source of uncertainty in chemical models. The chemical mechanism responsible for the local formation of HCN in the stratosphere probably occurs in the reactor too. We propose a simple characterization of the spark discharge. We thus link the molecular nitrogen dissociation cross section by electron impact to the measured parameters of the experiments (current, voltage, initial partial pressures) and to the resulting HCN partial pressures. However, other laboratory experiments with larger hydrogen pressures, requiring a more powerful electric source, have to be performed to yield a value of the cross section.

The low temperature organic chemistry of Titan's geofluid

Organic chemistry on Titan and prebiotic chemistry on Earth involve the same N-containing organics: nitriles and their oligomers. Couplings of their chemistry in the three parts of Titan's geofluid (atmosphere, aerosols and surface) seem to play a key role in the organic chemical evolution of the planet. If liquid water was present on Titan, then a prebiotic chemistry, involving eutectics, similar to that of the early Earth, may have occurred. However, liquid water is currently absent and a prebiotic chemistry based only on N-organics may be evolving now on Titan. The other consequence of the low temperatures of Titan is the possible formation of organics unstable at room temperature and very reactive. So far, these compounds have not been systematically searched for in experimental studies of Titan's organic chemistry. C4N2 has already been detected on Titan. Powerful reactants in organic chemistry, CH2N2, and CH3N3, may be also present. They exhibit spectral signatures in the mid-IR strong enough to allow their detection at the 10-100 ppb level. They may be detectable on future IR spectra (ISO and Cassini) of Titan.

Absolute absorption coefficient of C6H2 in the mid-UV range at low temperature; implications for the interpretation of Titan atmospheric spectra

The interpretation of mid-UV albedo spectra of planetary atmospheres, especially that of Titan, is the main goal of the SIPAT (Spectroscopie uv d'Interet Prebiologique dans l'Atmosphere de Titan) research program. This laboratory experiment has been developed in order to systematically determine the absorption coefficients of molecular compounds which are potential absorbers of scattered sunlight in planetary atmospheres, with high spectral resolution, and at various temperatures below room temperature. From photochemical modelling and experimental simulations, we may expect triacetylene (C6H2) to be present in the atmosphere of Titan, even though it has not yet been detected. We present here the first determination of the absolute absorption coefficient of that compound in the 200-300 nm range and at two temperatures (296 K and 233 K). The temperature dependence of the C6H2 absorption coefficient in that wavelength range is compared to that previously observed in the case of cyanoacetylene (HC3N). We then discuss the implications of the present results for the interpretation of Titan UV spectra, where it appears that large uncertainities can be introduced either by the presence of trace impurities in laboratory samples or by the variations of absorption coefficients with temperature.

UV spectroscopy of Titan's atmosphere, planetary organic chemistry and prebiological synthesis. II. Interpretation of new IUE observations in the 220-335 nm range

We report on new observations of Titan with the International Ultraviolet Explorer in the mid-UV range (lambda approximately 220-335 nm). We use these data to determine upper limits for the abundances of simple organic compounds in the gas phase and to further constrain the properties of the high altitude haze on Titan. As a baseline, we adopted the parametrized microphysical model of McKay et al. (1989) which is successful at reproducing Titan's thermal structure while satisfying several other observational constraints in the visible and IR regions. However, we find that such a model--in which all particles at a given altitude are assumed to have the same size--cannot match simultaneously the IUE observations and the visible/IR data, even when allowance is made for a wide range of values in the adjustable parameters. On the other hand, a good overall agreement is obtained when considering a biomodal size distribution, with small haze particles or "polymers" (r < 0.02 micrometer) acting as strong Rayleigh absorbers below 300 nm and larger haze particles (r approximately 0.1-0.5 micrometer) being responsible for the characteristics of the albedo spectrum in the near-UV, visible, and IR regions. This approach is consistent with the results of several previous investigations of the properties of Titan's haze, although our preferred vertical structure for the haze + polymer material somewhat differs from earlier solutions. On the basis of simple dynamical considerations, we adopted a uniformly mixed layer between 150 and 600 km. The IUE data allow us to place fairly stringent constraints on the abundance of the Rayleigh absorbers, if we assume that their optical properties are similar to those of laboratory-synthesized "tholins": The column-mass density of this material--the essential observable that can be determined from our study--is of the order of 5 micrograms cm-2. This would correspond to number-densities between 10(3) and 10(7) cm-3 in the 150-600 km altitude range, if the average particle radius is between 0.001 and 0.02 micrometer. Such high number densities are a priori at odds with the estimated coagulation lifetime for particles of that size. Thus, our proposed bimodal size distribution is plausible only if inhibiting processes act to slow down considerably the coagulation of polymers in Titan's stratosphere.