TITLE: Organic Molecules in the Atmosphere of Jupiter.

AUTHOR: C. A. Ponnamperuma.

INST.  AUTHOR: Maryland Univ., College Park.

LANGUAGE: English

PUB.  TYPE: Technical Report

PUB.  COUNTRY: United States

SOURCE: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) [NASA] , 1978, 2p.

ABSTRACT:

Organic synthesis in the primitive solar system was simulated by Fischer Tropsch type experiments. Particular attention was given to the formation of lower molecular weight hydrocarbons. In a gas flow experiment, a gas mixture of H2 and CO was introduced into a heated reaction tube at a constant flow rate and passed through a catalyst (powdered Canyon Diablo). The products that emerged were directly analyzed by gas chromatography.  The results of 21 runs under various gas mixing rations, reaction temperatures, and gas-catalyst contact times showed the predominance of the saturated hydrocarbon formation at C sub 4 and C sub 5 over the unsaturated ones. Saturate/unsaturate ratios were mostly less than 0.4 and none showed over 0.7.

REPORT  NUMBER: NASA-CR-156793

CONTRACT  NUMBER: NAS5-20834