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Tholins - Organic chemistry of interstellar grains and gasThe paper discusses tholins, defined as complex organic solids formed by the interaction of energy - for example, UV light or spark discharge - with various mixtures of cosmically abundant gases - CH4, C2H6, NH3, H2O, HCHO, and H2S. It is suggested that tholins occur in the interstellar medium and are responsible for some of the properties of the interstellar grains and gas. Additional occurrences of tholins are considered. Tholins have been produced experimentally; 50 or so pyrolytic fragments of the brown, sometimes sticky substances have been identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and the incidence of these fragments in tholins produced by different procedures is reported.
Document ID
19790036050
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Sagan, C.
(Cornell Univ. Ithaca, NY, United States)
Khare, B. N.
(Cornell University Ithaca, N.Y., United States)
Date Acquired
August 9, 2013
Publication Date
January 11, 1979
Publication Information
Publication: Nature
Volume: 277
Subject Category
Astrophysics
Accession Number
79A20063
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NGR-33-010-101
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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