A Co-Crystal between Acetylene and Butane: A Potentially Ubiquitous Molecular Mineral on Titan
- Morgan L. Cable*Morgan L. Cable*E-mail: [email protected]NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91109, United StatesMore by Morgan L. Cable,
- Tuan H. VuTuan H. VuNASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91109, United StatesMore by Tuan H. Vu,
- Michael J. MalaskaMichael J. MalaskaNASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91109, United StatesMore by Michael J. Malaska,
- Helen E. Maynard-CaselyHelen E. Maynard-CaselyAustralian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Kirrawee DC, New South Wales 2232, AustraliaMore by Helen E. Maynard-Casely,
- Mathieu ChoukrounMathieu ChoukrounNASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91109, United StatesMore by Mathieu Choukroun, and
- Robert HodyssRobert HodyssNASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91109, United StatesMore by Robert Hodyss
Abstract
Titan hosts a complex chemical engine producing a rich inventory of organic molecules in its thick atmosphere and on its surface. Some of these organics may be deposited in the liquid hydrocarbon lakes in the polar regions and form evaporite features when the lakes dry out as part of Titan’s methane/ethane cycle that is analogous to Earth’s hydrologic cycle. Modeling suggests that acetylene and butane would be the main components of such evaporite deposits. We have previously demonstrated that some organic molecules (such as benzene and ethane) readily form co-crystals in Titan-relevant conditions. We report here Raman spectroscopic evidence for a new co-crystal between acetylene and butane, which could be the most common organic co-crystal discovered so far of direct relevance to Titan’s surface. Intermolecular interactions such as those in the acetylene-butane co-crystal could modify the kinetics and equilibria of various processes (dissolution, reprecipitation, etc.) and therefore may play a key role in the formation mechanisms and timescales of landscape evolution on Titan.
Cited By
This article is cited by 4 publications.
- Morgan L. Cable, Tuan H. Vu, Michael J. Malaska, Helen E. Maynard-Casely, Mathieu Choukroun, Robert Hodyss. Properties and Behavior of the Acetonitrile–Acetylene Co-Crystal under Titan Surface Conditions. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry 2020, 4 (8) , 1375-1385. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsearthspacechem.0c00129
- Courtney Ennis, Morgan L. Cable, Robert Hodyss, Helen E. Maynard-Casely. Mixed Hydrocarbon and Cyanide Ice Compositions for Titan’s Atmospheric Aerosols: A Ternary-Phase Co-crystal Predicted by Density Functional Theory. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry 2020, 4 (7) , 1195-1200. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsearthspacechem.0c00130
- Tuan H. Vu, Helen E. Maynard-Casely, Morgan L. Cable, Robert Hodyss, Mathieu Choukroun, Michael J. Malaska. Anisotropic thermal expansion of the acetylene–ammonia co-crystal under Titan's conditions. Journal of Applied Crystallography 2020, 53 (6) , 1524-1530. https://doi.org/10.1107/S1600576720014028
- Christina A. McConville, Yunwen Tao, Hayden A. Evans, Benjamin A. Trump, Jonathan B. Lefton, Wenqian Xu, Andrey A. Yakovenko, Elfi Kraka, Craig M. Brown, Tomče Runčevski. Peritectic phase transition of benzene and acetonitrile into a cocrystal relevant to Titan, Saturn's moon. Chemical Communications 2020, 56 (88) , 13520-13523. https://doi.org/10.1039/D0CC04999A