Atmospheric Chemistry of Titan Options

[Juramike]

Here is a "Benzene-O-Vision" graphic showing the amount of benzene and phenyl radicals at high altitudes on Titan. This is based on detections of benzene and phenyl radical (which recombined in the sample chamber to make benzene) using the INMS instrument during closest approach. The numbers are normalized to constant pressure altitude, roughly 1000 km.



The data was taken from Table 1 in: Vuitton et al, Journal of Geophysical Research 113 (2008) E05007. "Formation and distribution of benzene on Titan". doi: 10.1029/2007JE002997 [EDIT 5/24/10: Article freely available here] and overlaid on a map of Titan.

The authors mentioned that the errors in these measurements are 20%.

These detections are well above the detached haze layer. Most are at the same sun azimuth angle. (T23 observation had the lowest angle.) Assuming that the temporal difference is minimal (each dot is from a different flyby), there doesn't appear to be an obvious correlation with latitude.

This graphic does show that benzene is present even waaaay up in the thermosphere and ionosphere.

[Juramike]

Even on electron quenching of the CH5+ radical, it is pretty unimpressive. It pretty much goes to CH3 radical and 2 H radical. Although these are mildy exciting, it is nothing compared to what can happen to CH3+.

On e-quench of CH3+, the amount of energy released blows the system apart to generate an even more reactive carbene some of the time. The rest of the time, it goes to even more reactive intermediates, the radical carbene .:CH (whoa!) or even the total-fraggo uber-reactive option to a carbon atom.



So even if these intermediates manage to not react with other species and finally hook back up with an electron, CH3+ generates the more reactive and exciting intermediates.