Laboratory Infrared Spectroscopic Studies of Crystalline Nitriles with Relevance to Outer Planetary Systems

Titan’s temporal evolution in stratospheric trace gases near the poles

“…This evidence, together with the observed trend for decrease in most species during winter to spring in the north (Bampasidis et al, 2012;Jennings et al, 2012a;Vinatier et al, 2015), indicates that changes in the haze and changes in the molecular abundance are probably related. Our results are consistent with the suggestion that condensed nitriles contribute to the far-infrared haze (Coustenis et al, 1999;Dello Russo & Khanna 1996;Khanna 2005;de Kok 2008, Jennings et al, 2012a). …”

Particle size and abundance of HC3N ice in Titan’s lower stratosphere at high northern latitudes

“…Complex indices of refraction of crystalline HC 3 N are adopted from laboratory measurements (Dello Russo and Khanna, 1996). Mie calculations are performed assuming a lognormal particle size distribution and a variance of 1.01 (see Hansen and Travis, 1974), to compute the ice volume extinction coefficients.…”

Composition, Physical State, and Distribution of Ices at the Surface of Triton

“…Other possibilities may be nitrile molecules. According to the data of Dello Russo and Khanna (1996), a rough prediction of the frequency of the combination modes suggests that pure solid HCN is not a viable candidate as a pure ice, although photochemical models of Triton's atmosphere (Krasnopolsky and Cruikshank 1995) predict a significant and observable volume of HCN (and C 2 -hydrocarbons) condensed on the surface. According to the calculations of Maki et al (1996) for HCN gas and to the fact that the positions of the bands of HCN diluted in solid N 2 are expected to be very close to that of the gas, HCN : N 2 can also be ruled out.…”