Mogul Rakesh, Limaye Sanjay S, Way M J, Cordova Jaime A
Chemistry & Biochemistry Department California State Polytechnic University, Pomona Pomona CA USA.
Blue Marble Space Institute of Science Seattle WA USA.
Geophys Res Lett. 2021 Apr 16;48(7):e2020GL091327. doi: 10.1029/2020GL091327. Epub 2021 Apr 14.
We present a re-examination of mass spectral data obtained from the Pioneer Venus Large Probe Neutral Mass Spectrometer. Our interpretations of differing trace chemical species are suggestive of redox disequilibria in Venus' middle clouds. Assignments to the data (at 51.3 km) include phosphine, hydrogen sulfide, nitrous acid, nitric acid, carbon monoxide, hydrochloric acid, hydrogen cyanide, ethane, and potentially ammonia, chlorous acid, and several tentative PO species. All parent ions were predicated upon assignment of corresponding fragmentation products, isotopologues, and atomic species. The data reveal parent ions at varying oxidation states, implying the presence of reducing power in the clouds, and illuminating the potential for chemistries yet to be discovered. When considering the hypothetical habitability of Venus' clouds, the assignments reveal a potential signature of anaerobic phosphorus metabolism (phosphine), an electron donor for anoxygenic photosynthesis (nitrite), and major constituents of the nitrogen cycle (nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, and N).
我们对从先锋金星大探测器中性质谱仪获得的质谱数据进行了重新审视。我们对不同痕量化学物质的解释表明金星中层云存在氧化还原不平衡。在51.3千米处的数据归属包括磷化氢、硫化氢、亚硝酸、硝酸、一氧化碳、盐酸、氰化氢、乙烷，以及可能的氨、亚氯酸和几种暂定的磷氧化物。所有母离子都是基于相应的碎片产物、同位素异构体和原子种类的归属确定的。数据揭示了处于不同氧化态的母离子，这意味着云层中存在还原能力，并揭示了尚未被发现的化学过程的可能性。在考虑金星云层假设的宜居性时，这些归属揭示了厌氧磷代谢（磷化氢）的潜在特征、无氧光合作用的电子供体（亚硝酸盐）以及氮循环的主要成分（硝酸盐、亚硝酸盐、氨和氮）。
