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[39.19] Laboratory Evidence for a Key Intermediate in the Venus Atmosphere: Peroxychloroformyl Radical

M. Allen (JPL/Caltech), H. Pernice, P. Garcia, H. Willner (Universitat Wuppertal), J. S. Francisco (Purdue University), F. P. Mills (Australian National University), Y. L. Yung (Caltech)

For two decades, the peroxychloroformyl radical, ClC(O)OO, has played a central role in models of the chemical stability of the Venus atmosphere. No confirmation, however, has been possible in the absence of laboratory measurements for ClC(O)OO. We report the first isolation of ClC(O)OO in a cryogenic matrix and its infrared and ultraviolet spectral signatures. The experiments here show that ClC(O)OO is thermally and photolytically stable in the Venus atmosphere. These experimental discoveries validate the existence of ClC(O)OO, confirm several longstanding model assumptions, and provide a basis for the astronomical search for this important radical species.

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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 36 #4
© 2004. The American Astronomical Soceity.