title: Detection of perchlorate and the soluble chemistry of martian soil at the Phoenix lander site.
abstract: The Wet Chemistry Laboratory on the Phoenix Mars Lander performed aqueous chemical analyses of martian soil from the polygon-patterned northern plains of the Vastitas Borealis. The solutions contained approximately 10 mM of dissolved salts with 0.4 to 0.6% perchlorate (ClO4) by mass leached from each sample. The remaining anions included small concentrations of chloride, bicarbonate, and possibly sulfate. Cations were dominated by Mg2+ and Na+, with small contributions from K+ and Ca2+. A moderately alkaline pH of 7.7 +/- 0.5 was measured, consistent with a carbonate-buffered solution. Samples analyzed from the surface and the excavated boundary of the approximately 5-centimeter-deep ice table showed no significant difference in soluble chemistry.
authors: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA. michael.h.hecht@jpl.nasa.gov
authors: M H
authors: MH
authors: Hecht
authors: S P
authors: SP
authors: Kounaves
authors: R C
authors: RC
authors: Quinn
authors: S J
authors: SJ
authors: West
authors: S M M
authors: SM
authors: Young
authors: D W
authors: DW
authors: Ming
authors: D C
authors: DC
authors: Catling
authors: B C
authors: BC
authors: Clark
authors: W V
authors: WV
authors: Boynton
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Hoffman
authors: L P
authors: LP
authors: Deflores
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Gospodinova
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Kapit
authors: P H
authors: PH
authors: Smith
mesh_terms: D000838:Anions; D002412:Cations; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D005118:Extraterrestrial Environment; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D018535:Mars; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010472:Perchlorates; D012995:Solubility; D018531:Spacecraft; D013696:Temperature; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D000838:Anions; D002412:Cations; D010472:Perchlorates; D014867:Water; C494474:perchlorate