The clouds of Venus are believed to be composed of sulfuric acid and minor constituents including iron-bearing compounds. Respective concentrations of these compounds vary with height in the thick atmosphere of our neighboring planet. In a new study, researchers at the University of Cambridge synthesized iron-bearing sulfate minerals that are stable under the harsh chemical conditions in the Venusian clouds. Their spectroscopic analysis revealed that a combination of two minerals, rhomboclase and acid ferric sulfate, can explain the mysterious ultraviolet (UV) absorption feature in the Venusian atmosphere.
The clouds of Venus hold several mysteries. They extend from 48 km to roughly 65 km and provide a transition region between the lower atmosphere (<48 km) that is dominated by thermochemistry and dynamics and the upper atmosphere (>65 km), for which photochemistry and dynamics are relevant.
To understand the chemical cycles between the Venusian atmosphere and its volcanic surface, and to correctly interpret potential biosignatures, an increasing research effort has been dedicated to generating a complete model framework of Venusian atmosphere.
“The only available data for the composition of the clouds were collected by probes and revealed strange properties of the clouds that so far we have been unable to fully explain,” said Dr. Paul Rimmer, a researcher with Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge.
“In particular, when examined under UV light, the Venusian clouds featured a specific UV absorption pattern.”
“What elements, compounds, or minerals are responsible for such observation?”
Formulated on the basis of Venusian atmospheric chemistry, Dr. Rimmer and colleagues synthesized several iron-bearing sulfate minerals in an aqueous geochemistry lab.
By suspending the synthesized materials in varying concentrations of sulfuric acid and monitor the chemical and mineralogical changes, they narrowed down the candidate minerals to…
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