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25 April 2024 |
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Hydrogen Cyanide in Nitrogen-Rich Atmospheres of Rocky Exoplanets | | Paul B. Rimmer
; Sarah Rugheimer
; | | Date: |
21 Feb 2019 | | Abstract: | Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is a key feedstock molecule for the production of
life’s building blocks. The formation of HCN in an N$_2$-rich atmospheres
requires first that the triple bond between N$equiv$N be severed, and then
that the atomic nitrogen find a carbon atom. These two tasks can be
accomplished via photochemistry, lightning, impacts, or volcanism. The key
requirements for producing appreciable amounts of HCN are the free availability
of N$_2$ and a local carbon to oxygen ratio of C/O $geq 1$. We discuss the
chemical mechanisms by which HCN can be formed and destroyed on rocky
exoplanets with Earth-like N$_2$ content and surface water inventories, varying
the oxidation state of the dominant carbon-containing atmospheric species. HCN
is most readily produced in an atmosphere rich in methane (CH$_4$) or acetylene
(C$_2$H$_2$), but can also be produced in significant amounts ($> 1$ ppm)
within CO-dominated atmospheres. Methane is not necessary for the production of
HCN. We show how destruction of HCN in a CO$_2$-rich atmosphere depends
critically on the poorly-constrained energetic barrier for the reaction of HCN
with atomic oxygen. We discuss the implications of our results for detecting
photochemically produced HCN, for concentrating HCN on the planet’s surface,
and its importance for prebiotic chemistry. | | Source: | arXiv, 1902.8022 | | Services: | Forum | Review | PDF | Favorites | |
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