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2014 Annual Science Report

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory - Titan Reporting  |  SEP 2013 – DEC 2014

Executive Summary

This is an interdisciplinary investigation of prebiotic chemistry on Titan in the context of Titan’s physical environment to provide a basis for understanding the prebiotic chemistry of the early Earth. Although Titan is far from the Sun and hence cold, solar radiation interacts with the methane rich atmosphere to initiate the formation of complex organic molecules and aerosols that eventually deposit on Titan’s geologically active surface, where further chemical evolution leading to the origin of life could occur.

The work comprised three parts or themes. The first theme, the current Titan physical environment, was aimed at understanding the basic physical processes that couple the surface and atmospheric chemistry of Titan. In the second theme, the complexity of atmospheric organic chemistry, employed experimental and theoretical tools to explore the range of atmospheric organic molecules that can be generated both in the gas-phase and in the condensed phase and subsequently deposited on the surface. The final theme of the proposed research, the evolving chemical state of the Titan surface, extended the state of knowledge of the prebiotic chemistry that might be ongoing at Titan’s surface. The themes were sequentially funded in time because the first theme led into the other two.

During the last year both Theme 2 and Theme 3 were completed. We developed a comprehensive model of the chemistry in Titan’s atmosphere including condensation of molecules onto grains and sublimation back to the gas, and exchange between the atmosphere and surface. Several papers are in progress and either have been or will shortly be submitted.

Theme 3 researchers continued to be extremely productive and many papers were published. Work focused on studies that elucidated chemical transformations that could occur on Titan’s surface, both spontaneously and through photochemical or electron-induced stimulation. Research on possible genetic polymers compatible with Titan surface conditions was completed. The team also made advances in situ techniques for detection of organics on Titan, using a novel atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometry technique.

Publications

  • Benner, S. A., Bains, W., & Seager, S. (2013). Models and Standards of Proof in Cross-Disciplinary Science: The Case of Arsenic DNA. Astrobiology, 13(5), 510–513. doi:10.1089/ast.2012.0954

  • Bennett, C. J., Pirim, C., & Orlando, T. M. (2013). Space-Weathering of Solar System Bodies: A Laboratory Perspective. Chem. Rev., 113(12), 9086–9150. doi:10.1021/cr400153k

  • Cable, M. L., Hörst, S. M., He, C., Stockton, A. M., Mora, M. F., Tolbert, M. A., … Willis, P. A. (2014). Identification of primary amines in Titan tholins using microchip nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 403, 99–107. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2014.06.028

  • Cable, M. L., Vu, T. H., Hodyss, R., Choukroun, M., Malaska, M. J., & Beauchamp, P. (2014). Experimental determination of the kinetics of formation of the benzene-ethane co-crystal and implications for Titan. Geophysical Research Letters, 41(15), 5396–5401. doi:10.1002/2014gl060531

  • Couturier-Tamburelli, I., Gudipati, M. S., Lignell, A., Jacovi, R., & Piétri, N. (2014). Spectroscopic studies of non-volatile residue formed by photochemistry of solid C4N2: A model of condensed aerosol formation on Titan. Icarus, 234, 81–90. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2014.02.016

  • Dawley, M. M., Pirim, C., & Orlando, T. M. (2014). Radiation Processing of Formamide and Formamide:Water Ices on Silicate Grain Analogue. The Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 118(7), 1228–1236. doi:10.1021/jp4042815

  • Dawley, M. M., Pirim, C., & Orlando, T. M. (2014). Thermal Processing of Formamide Ices on Silicate Grain Analogue. The Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 118(7), 1220–1227. doi:10.1021/jp404026s

  • He, C., & Smith, M. A. (2014). A comprehensive NMR structural study of Titan aerosol analogs: Implications for Titan’s atmospheric chemistry. Icarus, 243, 31–38. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2014.09.021

  • He, C., & Smith, M. A. (2014). Solubility and stability investigation of Titan aerosol analogs: New insight from NMR analysis. Icarus, 232, 54–59. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2014.01.007

  • He, C., Lin, G., & Smith, M. A. (2012). NMR identification of hexamethylenetetramine and its precursor in Titan tholins: Implications for Titan prebiotic chemistry. Icarus, 220(2), 627–634. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2012.06.007

  • Jeilani, Y. A., Orlando, T. M., Pope, A., Pirim, C., & Nguyen, M. T. (2014). Prebiotic synthesis of triazines from urea: a theoretical study of free radical routes to melamine, ammeline, ammelide and cyanuric acid. RSC Adv., 4(61), 32375. doi:10.1039/c4ra03717k

  • Lavvas, P., West, R. A., Gronoff, G., & Rannou, P. (2014). Titan’s emission processes during eclipse. Icarus, 241, 397–408. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2014.07.008

  • Malaska, M. J., & Hodyss, R. (2014). Dissolution of benzene, naphthalene, and biphenyl in a simulated Titan lake. Icarus, 242, 74–81. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2014.07.022

  • Pirim, C., Pasek, M. A., Sokolov, D. A., Sidorov, A. N., Gann, R. D., & Orlando, T. M. (2014). Investigation of schreibersite and intrinsic oxidation products from Sikhote-Alin, Seymchan, and Odessa meteorites and Fe3P and Fe2NiP synthetic surrogates. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 140, 259–274. doi:10.1016/j.gca.2014.05.027

  • Vu, T. H., Cable, M. L., Choukroun, M., Hodyss, R., & Beauchamp, P. (2014). Formation of a New Benzene–Ethane Co-Crystalline Structure Under Cryogenic Conditions. The Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 118(23), 4087–4094. doi:10.1021/jp501698j