HTTP:: Titan Atmosphere 039 s Chemical Evolution Mystery Unraveled
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The orange-brownish-colored atmosphere of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, surrounds the only known solar system bodies, except Venus and Earth, that have a solid surface and thick atmosphere. The hazy layer of gas covering the large rock features some peculiar reactions, as evidenced by the fact that the natural satellite itself supports lakes of liquid hydrocarbons on its surface. Experts from the University of Hawaii in Manoa (UHM) took it upon themselves to unravel the chemical evolution of Titan's atmosphere, in a setup that allowed for consequences of a single collision between molecules to be followed. Led by physical chemist Ralf Kaiser, the team utilized crossed molecular beams for the job. The team learned that photodissociation was one of the most important processes going on in the moon's atmosphere. This is the process through which chemical compounds are broken down by photons in light waves. For instance, the experts found, UV radiations broke down acetylene, an!
d created the ethynyl radical. This radical then collides with a diacetylene molecule, and forms triacetylene, one of the weird substances in Titan's heavy atmosphere. “Surprisingly, the photochemical models show inconsistent mechanisms for the production of polyynes,†Kaiser, who ...
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http://news.softpedia.com/news/Titan-Atmosphere-039-s-Chemical-Evolution-Mystery-Unraveled-121748.shtml
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