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Polyoxymethylene in Cometary Dust: Laboratory Tests

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2016

D.C. Boice ,
D.W. Naegeli  and
W.F. Huebner
D.C. Boice
Affiliation:
Southwest Research InstituteP.O. Drawer 28510 San Antonio, TX 78228-0510USA
D.W. Naegeli
Affiliation:
Southwest Research InstituteP.O. Drawer 28510 San Antonio, TX 78228-0510USA
W.F. Huebner
Affiliation:
Southwest Research InstituteP.O. Drawer 28510 San Antonio, TX 78228-0510USA

Abstract

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We have investigated the stability of gas-phase formaldehyde oligomers and its implications for cometary science. Our experiments indicate that when a formaldehyde-methanol solution is vaporized in the mass spectrometer, high molecular mass POM species (45, 61, 75, 91, 105, 121, 135, 151, 165 amu) exist in the gas phase in the temperature range 473 K to 773 K. These laboratory results complement our previous experiments using a formaldehyde-water solution and indicate that formaldehyde oligomers are stable in the gas phase up to at least 6 monomeric units in length. Methanol is important in the end-capping process of the oligomers, leading to increased stability and a richer mass spectrum when compared to the formaldehyde-water solution. The results are consistent with mass spectra obtained by the Giotto PICCA instrument exhibiting alternating 14-16 amu mass peaks.

Type
Cometary Dust: Observations and Evolution
Information
International Astronomical Union Colloquium , Volume 126: Origin and Evolution of Interplanetary Dust , 1991 , pp. 265 - 268
Copyright
Copyright © Kluwer 1991

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