Yen, A. S. and Kim, S. S. and Hecht, M. H. and Frant, M. S. and Murray, B. (2000) Evidence That the Reactivity of the Martian Soil Is Due to Superoxide Ions. Science, 289 (5486). pp. 1909-1912. ISSN 0036-8075. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20140415-085909528
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Abstract
The Viking Landers were unable to detect evidence of life on Mars but, instead, found a chemically reactive soil capable of decomposing organic molecules. This reactivity was attributed to the presence of one or more as-yet-unidentified inorganic superoxides or peroxides in the martian soil. Using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, we show that superoxide radical ions (O_(2)–) form directly on Mars-analog mineral surfaces exposed to ultraviolet radiation under a simulated martian atmosphere. These oxygen radicals can explain the reactive nature of the soil and the apparent absence of organic material at the martian surface.
| Item Type: | Article | |||||||||
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| Additional Information: | © 2000 American Association for the Advancement of Science. Received 5 May 2000; accepted 2 August 2000. This work was performed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under contract to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. | |||||||||
| Issue or Number: | 5486 | |||||||||
| Record Number: | CaltechAUTHORS:20140415-085909528 | |||||||||
| Persistent URL: | https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20140415-085909528 | |||||||||
| Official Citation: | Yen, A. S., Kim, S. S., Hecht, M. H., Frant, M. S., & Murray, B. (2000). Evidence That the Reactivity of the Martian Soil Is Due to Superoxide Ions. Science, 289(5486), 1909-1912. doi: 10.1126/science.289.5486.1909 | |||||||||
| Usage Policy: | No commercial reproduction, distribution, display or performance rights in this work are provided. | |||||||||
| ID Code: | 44948 | |||||||||
| Collection: | CaltechAUTHORS | |||||||||
| Deposited By: | Jason Perez | |||||||||
| Deposited On: | 15 Apr 2014 21:09 | |||||||||
| Last Modified: | 03 Oct 2019 06:24 |
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