Abundance of organic compounds photochemically produced in the atmospheres of the Outer Planets

Organic photochemical syntheses in the Jovian atmosphere was simulated by irradiating, at 147 nm, gaseous mixtures of methane and ammonia with varying amounts of hydrogen. Some results relevant to the photochemistry of the Jupiter atmosphere at several tens of kilometers above the clouds were obtained: (1) a favorable effect of the pressure of high amounts of H2 on the yield of hydrocarbon synthesis when NH3 is mixed with CH4; (2) a very low yield of synthesis of unsaturated hydrocarbons in such conditions; and (3) the possibility of formation of detectable amounts of HCN and CH3CN.