Titan's ion chemistry: a laboratory perspective.
Some of the most interesting objects in the solar system are those bodies that have significant atmospheres. The discovery that Titan, Saturn's largest satellite, has a substantial nitrogen-based atmosphere makes it a prime extraterrestrial object of interest. The advent of the Cassini orbiter spacecraft program that is able to observe and sample Titan's ionosphere adds greatly to this interest. We report here a summary of some of the efforts that have been made in the laboratory to understand the processes responsible for chemical processing of the primary ions formed in Titan's ionosphere, into the ions observed by in situ sampling. The presence of significant hydrocarbons and the colder temperatures of Titan's ionosphere lead to a much greater complexity in the ion chemistry of Titan than is apparent in the ion chemistry of Earth. A review of all the ion-molecule chemistry investigated in laboratory studies relevant to Titan is included as a table. The complexity of some of the hydrocarbon ion structures formed in just three reactive ion-molecule sequences from the primary ions has required a new experimental methodology which is discussed.
McEwan
Murray J
MJ
Department of Chemistry, University of Canterbury PB4800, Christchurch, New Zealand. murray.mcewan@canterbury.ac.nz
Anicich
Vincent G
VG