Production of nitrates and perchlorates by laser ablation of sodium chloride in simulated Martian atmospheres. Implications for their formation by electric discharges in dust devils

Publication date: Available online 26 February 2019Source: Life Sciences in Space ResearchAuthor(s): Pável U. Martínez-Pabello, Rafael Navarro-González, Xavier Walls, Teresa Pi-Puig, José L. González-Chávez, José G. de la Rosa, Paola Molina, Olivia ZamoraAbstractNitrates and perchlorates are present both on Earth and Mars. In the Martian environment perchlorates dominate over nitrates whereas on Earth is the other way around. This implies that the mechanisms responsible for their formation are different for both planets. The chemical elements required for their formation are nitrogen and chlorine, which are present in the atmosphere and surface, respectively. Dust in the Martian atmosphere causes atmospheric perturbations that lead to development of dust-devils and sandstorms. Dust devils contain both chemical elements simultaneously, and normally generate high electric fields that can trigger the formation of electric discharges. Here we present laboratory experiments of this phenomenon using laser ablation of a sodium chloride (NaCl) plate in two different simulated atmospheres: 96% CO2, 2% N2 and 2% Ar, and 66% CO2, 33% N2 and 1% Ar. The dust that condensed and accumulated on the walls of the reactor was analyzed by different analytical techniques that included Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, visible spectroscopy using azo dyes, thermogravimetry/simultaneous thermal analyses coupled to mass spectrometry, powder X-ray diffraction, and ion chromatography. The...
Source: Life Sciences in Space Research - Category: Biology Source Type: research