Detection of perchlorate and the soluble chemistry of martian soil at the Phoenix lander site. Science (New York, N.Y.) [Science] Journal article | | Title | Detection of perchlorate and the soluble chemistry of martian soil at the Phoenix lander site. | | Author(s) | Hecht MH, Kounaves SP, Quinn RC, West SJ, Young SM, Ming DW, Catling DC, Clark BC, Boynton WV, Hoffman J, Deflores LP, Gospodinova K, Kapit J, Smith PH | | Institution | Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA. michael.h.hecht@jpl.nasa.gov | | Source | Science 2009 Jul 3; 325(5936):64-7. | | MeSH | Anions
Cations
Chemical Phenomena
Extraterrestrial Environment
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
Mars
Oxidation-Reduction
Perchloric Acid
Solubility
Spacecraft
Temperature
Water
| | Abstract | The Wet Chemistry Laboratory on the Phoenix Mars Lander performed aqueous chemical analyses of martian soil from the polygon-patterned northern plains of the Vastitas Borealis. The solutions contained approximately 10 mM of dissolved salts with 0.4 to 0.6% perchlorate (ClO4) by mass leached from each sample. The remaining anions included small concentrations of chloride, bicarbonate, and possibly sulfate. Cations were dominated by Mg2+ and Na+, with small contributions from K+ and Ca2+. A moderately alkaline pH of 7.7 +/- 0.5 was measured, consistent with a carbonate-buffered solution. Samples analyzed from the surface and the excavated boundary of the approximately 5-centimeter-deep ice table showed no significant difference in soluble chemistry. | | Language | eng | | Pub Type(s) | Journal Article
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
| | PubMed ID | 19574385 |
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