Rules of formation of H-C-N-O compounds at high pressure and the fates of planetary ices.

ABSTRACT: The solar system's outer planets, and many of their moons, are dominated by matter from the H-C-N-O chemical space, based on solar system abundances of hydrogen and the planetary ices [Formula: see text]O, [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] In the planetary interiors, these ices will experience extreme pressure conditions, around 5 Mbar at the Neptune mantle-core boundary, and it is expected that they undergo phase transitions, decompose, and form entirely new compounds. While temperature will dictate the formation of compounds, ground-state density functional theory allows us to probe the chemical effects resulting from pressure alone. These structural developments in turn determine the planets' interior structures, thermal evolution, and magnetic field generation, among others.

SUBMITTER: Conway LJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8126778 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature