Production of organic gases and aerosols by electrical activity in Titan's tropospheric clouds

The corona discharge chemistry of a Titan simulated atmosphere was investigated by GC-FTIR-MS techniques. The main products are hydrocarbons (ethane, ethyne, ethene, propane, 2-methylpropane, n-butane, n-pentane, and n-hexane), nitriles (hydrogen cyanide, ethanenitrile, propanenitrile, and butanenitrile) and tholins (composed by a complex mixture of highly branched hydrocarbons). Because little UV penetrates to the lower atmosphere to destroy the molecules formed there, the corona-produced species may be long-lived and contribute significantly to the composition of the lower atmosphere and surface.