The Mystery of Carbon dioxide on Icy Satellites: A Mixed Clathrate Hydrate?

Details The Mystery of Carbon dioxide on Icy Satellites: A Mixed Clathrate Hydrate? The Mystery of Carbon dioxide on Icy Satellites: A Mixed Clathrate Hydrate?

Sep 2006

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006dps....38.3013c&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #38, #30.13; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 38, p.540

Biology

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Scientific paper

The existence of trapped carbon dioxide molecules on Jovian and Saturnian satellites is puzzling. A common position for the ν3 band on the Jovian and Saturnian satellites (2349 cm-1) implies a common trapping mechanism. CO2 trapped in various ices and minerals exhibit ν3 features from 2339 t0 2368 cm-1 but there are few candidates that are close to the observed position.
CO2 in cages of Type I and II clathrate hydrates exhibits features respectively at 2347 and 2345 cm-1 (Fleyfel and Devlin 1991), intriguingly close satellite feature. Pure CO2 clathrates may be difficult to form on icy satellite surfaces but mixed clathrates can be formed using "helper” molecules such as H2S, CH3OH, and certain polymethylene oxides (PMOs). Ices containing these "helper” molecules form clathrates in vacuum at temperatures of about 140 K. If the original mixture contains CO2 then a mixed clathrate can be formed.
A 2346 cm-1 CO2 feature has been observed in thermally processed H2O:CH3OH:CO2 ices (Sandford and Allamandola 1990; Ehrenfreund et al. 1999), but the definitive clathrate identification was provided by Blake et al. (1991). While mixed clathrates can be formed from primordial CO2 and CH3OH (and other) molecules, irradiation may also produce both the CO2 and "helper” molecules. We have found evidence for clathrate production in irradiated H2O:2-butene mixed ices. Upon warming, a feature appeared at 2346 cm-1, suggesting enclathration. This is reasonable because hydrocarbon + ice radiolysis products include PMOs. Clathrates may also trap O2 in similar fashion (Hand et al. 2006).
Blake, D. et al., Science 254, 548 (1991).
Ehrenfreund, P. et al., Astron. Astrophys. 350, 240 (1999)
Fleyfel, F., and J. P. Devlin. J. Phys. Chem. 95, 3811 (1991).
Hand, K. P. at al., Astrobiology 6, 463 (2006).
Sandford, S. A., and L. J. Allamandola. Astrophys. J. 355, 357 (1990).

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