Planetary Nitrile Chemistry: Synchrotron Spectroscopic Investigations

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Observed in planetary atmospheres such as Saturn's moon Titan, cyanide-based aerosols undergo photolytic processing to generate complex organic material of prebiotic interest. However, dedicated spectroscopic experiments directed at nitrile aerosol analogues have not been performed to date. To bridge this gap, a custom cooling cell at the Australian Synchrotron will be used to investigate condensed-phase nitriles at Titan conditions. Laser irradiation of nitrile ice particles will then follow; designed to simulate photochemical processes in the Titan atmosphere. The project aims to use data compiled for nitrile aerosols and their photolytic products to assist in assigning these species to unconfirmed bands within infrared surveys of planetary environments.