Abstract
The radiation-induced decomposition of aqueous solutions of formaldehyde was studied at 298 and 77 K in order to obtain an insight into the possible role of ionizing radiation on cometary chemistry. Aqueous solutions of 1.0 mol dm−3 formaldehyde were exposed to γ-radiation in the dose range from 0.01 kGy to 1.2 MGy. The radiation chemical yield of decomposition of formaldehyde was determined to be: G(−CH2(OH)2)=26.3±1.2 at 298 K and G≤0.48 at 77 K.
Based on previous estimates of the total dose of ionizing radiation that comets have accumulated over 4.6 billion years, we predict a radiation-induced depletion of formaldehyde as a function of depth in comet nuclei: 100% destruction in the outer layers (0–20 m) and ≈ 10% destruction in the interior layers.
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Navarro-González, R., Castillo-Rojas, S. & Negrón-Mendoza, A. Experimental and computational study of the radiation-induced decomposition of formaldehyde. Implications to cometary nuclei. Origins Life Evol Biosphere 21, 39–49 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01809512
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01809512