Highly compressed water structure observed in a perchlorate aqueous solution.

ABSTRACT: The discovery by the Phoenix Lander of calcium and magnesium perchlorates in Martian soil samples has fueled much speculation that flows of perchlorate brines might be the cause of the observed channeling and weathering in the surface. Here, we study the structure of a mimetic of Martian water, magnesium perchlorate aqueous solution at its eutectic composition, using neutron diffraction in combination with hydrogen isotope labeling and empirical potential structure refinement. We find that the tetrahedral structure of water is heavily perturbed, the effect being equivalent to pressurizing pure water to pressures of order 2 GPa or more. The Mg²⁺ and ClO₄^- ions appear charge-ordered, confining the water on length scales of order 9 Å, preventing ice formation

SUBMITTER: Lenton S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5715023 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature