First in situ detection of the CN radical in comets and evidence for a distributed source

ABSTRACT Although the debate regarding the origin of the cyano (CN) radical in comets has been ongoing for many decades, it has yielded no definitive answer to date. CN could previously only be studied remotely, strongly hampering efforts to constrain its origin because of very limited spatial information. Thanks to the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft, which orbited comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko for 2 yr, we can investigate, for the first time, CN around a comet at high spatial and temporal resolution. On board Rosetta's orbiter module, the high-resolution double-focusing mass spectrometer DFMS, part of the ROSINA instrument suite, analysed the neutral volatiles (including HCN and the CN radical) in the inner coma of the comet throughout that whole 2-yr phase and at variable cometocentric distances. From a thorough analysis of the full-mission data, the abundance of CN radicals in the cometary coma has been derived. Data from a close flyby event in 2015 February indicate a distributed origin for the CN radical in comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.

The ROSINA Perspective on the CN/HCN Ratio at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

<p>The origin of cyano (CN) radicals in comets presents a long-standing riddle to the science community. Remote observations, e.g. reviewed by Fray et al. [1], show that for some comets the scale lengths, production rates, and spatial distributions of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) and CN using a Haser-based model are not consistent. Consequently, a process additional to photolysis of HCN seems to be required to explain the observed CN densities. Possible scenarios include (1) degradation of CN-producing refractories (e.g. HCN-polymers, tholins, or ammonium salts [2-3]) and (2) photolysis of other gaseous CN-bearing parent species (e.g. HC<sub>3</sub>N or C<sub>2</sub>N<sub>2</sub>).</p><p>The CN/HCN ratio observed in the inner coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko with the Double Focusing Mass Spectrometer DFMS, part of the ROSINA (Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis) sensor package [4] onboard ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft, is not compatible with fragmentation of HCN under electron impact ionization. Even though from fragmentation a constant CN/HCN ratio of about 0.15 [5-7] is expected, the observed values range from almost 0.4 at the beginning of the mission (August 2014) to about 0.15 shortly after perihelion passage (August 2015). Towards the end of the mission (September 2016), CN/HCN ratios increase again. This presentation will discuss the data from ROSINA/DFMS in detail and present laboratory-based indications that direct production of CN from sublimating ammonium cyanide (NH<sub>4</sub>CN) occurs, leading to increased CN/HCN ratios. Could this be the process generating a surplus of CN radicals with respect to photolysis of HCN in certain comets?</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>[1] N. Fray et al. The origin oft he CN radical in comets: A review from observations and models Planetary and Space Science 53 (2005) 1243-1262.</p><p>[2] N. Hänni et al. Ammonium Salts as a Source of Small Molecules Observed with High-Resolution Electron-Impact Ionization Mass Spectrometry. J. Phys. Chem. A 123 (2019) 27, 5805-5814.</p><p>[3] K. Altwegg et al. Evidence of ammonium salts in comet 67P as explanation for the nitrogen depletion in cometary comae. Nat. Astron. (2019) in print.</p><p>[4] H. Balsiger et al. Rosina - Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis. Space Science Reviews 128 (2007) 745-801.</p><p>[5] S.E. Steins in NIST Chemistry WebBook, NIST Standard Reference Database Number 69, Eds. P.J. Linstrom and W.G. Mallard, National Institute of Standards and Technology, (2018).</p><p>[6] P. Kusch et al. The Dissociation of HCN, C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>2</sub>, C<sub>2</sub>N<sub>2</sub>, and C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>4</sub> by Electron Impact. Phys. Rev. 52 (1937) 843-854.</p><p>[7] D. P. Stevenson. Ionization and Dissociation by Electron Impact: Cyanogen, Hydrogen Cyanide, and Cyanogen Chloride and the Dissociation Energy of Cyanogen. J. Chem. Phys. 18 (1950) 1347-1351.</p>

Theoretical Study of CN Radicals Chemisorption on the Electronic Properties of BC2N Nanotube

In this work, we have investigated the adsorption behavior of the CN radicals on electronic properties of BC2N nanotube (BC2NNT) by means of the B3LYP hybrid density functional method using 6-31G(d) basis set. The results show that CN radicals can be chemically adsorbed on the nanotube. Based on the energy analysis, the most stable position of CN radical on the nanotube is C1 site. Also, the C-side complexes are more stable than the N-side complexes. We investigated the effects of CN radicals adsorption on the electronic properties of the BC2N nanotube. According to our calculations, band gap energy of the BC2NNT decreases with increasing the number of CN radicals. It is predicted that the conductivity and reactivity of nanotube increase by increasing the number of CN radicals. Based on the NBO analysis, in all complexes charge transfer occurs from nanotube to CN radical. The AIM results show that, the Xtube…YCN interaction has covalent nature. Generally, The BC2N nanotube can be used to as sensor for nanodevice applications.

Detection of Diatomic Molecules in the Dust Forming Nova V2676 Oph

Novae are generally considered to be hot astronomical objects and show effective temperatures up to 10,000 K or higher at their visual maximum. But, it is theoretically predicted that the outer envelope of the nova outflow can become cool enough to form molecules that would be dissociated at high temperatures. We detected strong absorption bands of C₂ and CN radicals in the optical spectrum of Nova V2676 Oph, a very slow nova with dust formation. This is the first report of the detection of C₂ and the second one of CN in novae during outburst. Although such simple molecules are predicted to form in the envelope of the outflow based on previous studies, there are few reports of their detection. In the case of V2676 Oph, the presence of the molecular envelope is considered to be very transient, lasting several days only.