POSSIBLE CONTRIBUTION OF ORGANOMETALLIC SPECIES IN THE SOLAR-SYSTEM ICES - REACTIVITY AND SPECTROSCOPY

Ionized metals and PAHs have been detected or suspected to be present in cometary and planetary atmospheres. Experimental studies are perfor med which show that interactions between Fe+ and PAHs in the gas phase lead to organometallic complexes [Fe(PAH)](+). This leads to the prop osal that metal bonded PAHs should be formed efficiently in these medi a. Spectral signatures (IR, visible and UV) of similar complexes are m easured and their reactivity against common planetary atmospheric mole cules (H2O, N-2, NH3, CO, C2H2, H-2, O-2) are studied. When organometa llics condensate on telluric body surfaces, they are expected to colou r ices orange or red and one expects the formation of nanoscale metall ic grains embedded in a matrix of organic molecules. Copyright (C) 199 6 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd