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Chang, S.

Publications and source records attributed to Chang, S..

At least 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1978

Organic chemistry on Titan

Observations of nonequilibrium phenomena on the Saturn satellite Titan indicate the occurrence of organic chemical evolution. Greenhouse and thermal inversion models of Titan's atmosphere provide environmental constraints within which various pathways for organic chemical synthesis are assessed. Experimental results and theoretical modeling studies suggest that the organic chemistry of the satellite may be dominated by two atmospheric processes: energetic-particle bombardment and photochemistry. Reactions initiated in various levels of the atmosphere by cosmic ray, Saturn wind, and solar wind particle bombardment of a CH4 - N2 atmospheric mixture can account for the C2-hydrocarbons, the UV-visible-absorbing stratospheric haze, and the reddish color of the satellite. Photochemical reactions of CH4 can also account for the presence of C2-hydrocarbons. In the lower Titan atmosphere, photochemical processes will be important if surface temperatures are sufficiently high for gaseous NH3 to exist. Hot H-atom reactions initiated by photo-dissociation of NH3 can couple the chemical reactions of NH3 and CH4 and produce organic matter.

Chang, S.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Peptide formation in the prebiotic era - Thermal condensation of glycine in fluctuating clay environments

As geologically relevant models of prebiotic environments, systems consisting of clay, water, and amino acids were subjected to cyclic variations in temperature and water content. Fluctuations of both variables produced longer oligopeptides in higher yields than were produced by temperature fluctuations alone. The results suggest that fluctuating environments provided a favorable geological setting in which the rate and extent of chemical evolution would have been determined by the number and frequency of cycles.

Lahav, N.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Candidate interstellar molecules formed from ion-molecule reactions of NO

Molecular orbital calculations using the MINDO/3 method were performed on a series of small molecules to explore reactions of NO which could lead to formation of interstellar molecules. Specifically, equilibrium geometries, isomeric energies, heats of reactions, and reaction pathways were calculated for plausible ion-molecule reactions involving NO and NO(+). The results of these calculations suggest that HNO(+) and HON(+) could be present in observable abundance in interstellar clouds. These species can be formed by the reaction of NO with H3(+) but not by NO(+) with H2. Moreover, they are stable to dissociation and do not react with H2 to re-form NO or to form isomers of HNOH(+).

Loew, G. H.↗
NASA NTRS1977

The vibrational spectrum and lattice dynamics of polycrystalline ammonium hydrosulfide

The infrared spectra of alkali metal and ammonium hydrosulfides have been recorded from wavenumbers of 200 to 4000 at liquid nitrogen temperatures, and the Raman spectra of these substances have been recorded from wavenumbers of 0 to 4000 over the temperature range 83-390 K. No evidence of a second solid phase was obtained. Internal and external fundamentals were assigned, in detail, based on selection rules, isotopic frequency shifts, and analogy with structurally similar salts. Barriers to anion and cation reorientation of 3.8 and 1.9 kcal/mole, respectively, have been calculated from librational assignments. The implications of the infrared spectrum of ammonium hydrosulfide for the possible spectroscopic detection of this substance in the atmosphere of the planet Jupiter are discussed.

Bragin, J.↗
NASA NTRS1977

The distribution of methylamine in the Jovian atmosphere

An estimate has been made of the methylamine concentration in the Jupiter atmosphere on the basis of the possible overlap between the regions of hydrocarbon and ammonia photochemistry. It was found that the maximum production rate of 6 x 10 to the 4th/cu cm/Jovian day occurs in the vicinity of 60 km above the ammonia cloud layer. The volumetric mixing ratio is 3 x 10 to the -11th, if the downward transport of methylamine equals the production rate.

Kuhn, W. R.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Ancient carbon and noble gas fractionation

Noble gases in ancient terrestrial kerogen and meteoritic carbonaceous residues are compared in terms of their elemental fractionation with respect to atmospheric and the cosmic reservoirs, respectively. Fractionation factors for the heavy noble gases are almost identical in both types of samples. Therefore, some features of the interaction between carbon phases and noble gases in very different environments of origin appear to be similar. These findings underscore the plausibility of the meteoritic carbonaceous residues as a noble gas carrier and as a novel vehicle for achieving the elemental fractionation required to derive the planetary noble gas pattern from cosmic abundances.

Frick, U.↗
NASA NTRS1976

The possible role of solid surface area in condensation reactions during chemical evolution - Reevaluation

Using surface concentration and reaction rate as the main criteria for the feasibility of condensation reactions, four types of prebiotic environments were analyzed: (1) an ocean-sediment system, (2) a dehydrated lagoon bed produced by evaporation, (3) the surface of a frozen sediment, and (4) a fluctuating system where hydration (rainstorms, tidal variations, flooding) and dehydration (evaporation) take place in a cyclic manner. With the possible exception of nucleotides, low adsorption of organomonomers on sediment surfaces of a prebiotic ocean (pH 8) is expected, and significant condensation is considered unlikely. In dehydrated and frozen systems, high surface concentrations are probable and condensation is more likely. In fluctuating environments, condensation rates will be enhanced and the size distribution of the oligomers formed during dehydration may be influenced by a 'redistribution mechanism' in which adsorbed oligomers and monomers are desorbed and redistributed on the solid surface during the next hydration-dehydration cycle.

Lahav, N.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Quantum chemical study of relative reactivities of a series of amines and nitriles - Relevance to prebiotic chemistry

Using the Iterative Extended Huckel Theory (IEHT) calculations of the electron distribution and orbital energies of a series of thirteen amines, nitriles and amino-nitriles relevant to prebiotic and cosmo-chemistry have been carried out. Ground state properties such as the energy and nature of the highest occupied (HOMO) and lowest empty (LEMO) molecular orbitals, net atomic charges and number of nonbonding electrons have been identified as criteria for correlating the relative nucleophilicity of amine and nitrile nitrogens and the electrophilicity of nitrile and other unsaturated carbon atoms. The results of such correlations can be partially verified by known chemical behavior of these compounds and are used to predict and understand their role in prebiotic organic synthesis.

Loew, G. H.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Photochemical synthesis of simple organic free radicals on simulated planetary surfaces - An ESR study

Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy provided evidence for formation of hydroxyl radicals during ultraviolet photolysis (254 nm) at -170 C of H2O adsorbed on silica gel or of silica gel alone. The carboxyl radical was observed when CO or CO2 or a mixture of CO and CO2 adsorbed on silica gel at -170 C was irradiated. The ESR signals of these radicals slowly disappeared when the irradiated samples were warmed to room temperature. However, reirradiation of CO or CO2, or the mixture CO and CO2 on silica gel at room temperature then produced a new species, the carbon dioxide anion radical, which slowly decayed and was identical with that produced by direct photolysis of formic acid adsorbed on silica gel. The primary photochemical process may involve formation of hydrogen and hydroxyl radicals. Subsequent reactions of these radicals with adsorbed CO or CO2 or both yield carboxyl radicals, CO2H, the precursors of formic acid. These results confirm the formation of formic acid under simulated Martian conditions and provide a mechanistic basis for gauging the potential importance of gas-solid photochemistry for chemical evolution on other extraterrestrial bodies, on the primitive earth, and on dust grains in the interstellar medium.

Tseng, S.-S.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Light element geochemistry of the Apollo 16 site

The abundance and isotopic composition of carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen, the abundance of helium and hydrogen, and the content of metallic iron are reported for lunar surface samples from the Apollo 16 landing site at Cayley-Descartes. The light elements show marked interstation variability at the site. The abundances in soils of C, N, He, and H are apparently controlled mainly by exposure to the solar wind, through implantation or stripping processes. Carbon abundances (but not observed isotopic distributions) are compatible with a model in which equilibrium is established after 10,000-100,000 yr between solar wind input and loss by proton stripping. Sulfur abundances in soils are apparently controlled by abundances in local country rocks, but the lunar S cycle is quite complex. A metallic iron component may have originated by solar wind reduction of lunar Fe(2+).

Kerridge, J. F.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Sulfur abundances and distributions in mare basalts and their source magmas

An inverse correlation between metallic iron content and total sulfur abundances was observed by Gibson and Moore (1974) for five Apollo 17 and six Apollo 15 basalts. An investigation was conducted with the objective to distinguish between two processes leading to the inverse metallic iron and total sulfur correlation. The investigation included analyses of ten Apollo 15 and five Apollo 17 basalts for their sulfur and metallic iron abundances along with carbon and hydrogen. The sulfur isotopic compositions were measured for a possible identification of the fractionation processes which might have occurred during volatilization of the basalts.

Gibson, E. K., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Analysis of longitudinal thickness-shear stiffness of a monolayer filamentary composite

The longitudinal thickness-shear behavior of a rectangular cross-section prism containing circular cross-section fibers embedded in a matrix is analyzed. The problem is formulated as a Saint-Venant flexure problem modeled by a tip-loaded cantilever composite beam and solution is obtained by the boundary-point least-squares method. It is shown that the longitudinal thickness-shear modulus is much greater than the in-plane shear modulus for a monofilament composite and therefore an independent analysis is necessary to predict the longitudinal thickness-shear behavior of the composite. Numerical results are presented in graphical form for various values of fiber volume fraction and material parameters typical of modern advanced composites.

Chang, S.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Dicarboxylic acids from electric discharge

An investigation was conducted concerning the possible synthesis of a suite of dicarboxylic acids similar to that found in the Murchison meteorite. The investigation included the conduction of a chemical evolution experiment which simulated electric discharge through the primitive atmosphere of the earth. The suite of dicarboxylic acids obtained in the electric discharge experiment is similar to that of the Murchison meteorite, except for the fact that 2-chlorosuccinic acid is present in the spark discharge.

Zeitman, B.↗