Monodeuterated methane in the outer Solar System. Part 3: Its abundance on Titan

The 3 nu 2 band of CH3D has been detected in spectra of Titan recorded at 1.6 microns with the Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) at the 4 m telescope of the Kitt Peak National Observatory (NOAO). We have obtained a value of the CH3D/CH4 mixing ratio of 6.6 (+6.6 or -3.3) x 10 to the -4 from a comparison between the observed Titan spectra and synthetic spectra. This value is approx. 2 times higher than the value measured on Uranus (de Bergh et al. 1986) and approx. 6 times higher than on Jupiter and on Saturn (Courtin et al. 1984; de Bergh et al. 1986). It corresponds to D/H of 1.65 (+1.65 or -0.8) x 10 the -4, nominally 8 times higher than the most commonly accepted value for the protosolar D/H = 2 x 10 to the -5 (Geiss and Reeves 1981). The value we find on Titan for D/H in methane is comparable to the D/H ratio measured in terrestrial H2O.