Journal of Physical Chemistry A, Vol.116, No.19, 4760-4767, 2012
Structural Investigation of Titan Tholins by Solution-State H-1, C-13, and N-15 NMR: One-Dimensional and Decoupling Experiments
Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, is enveloped in a reddish brown organic haze. Titan haze is presumed to be formed from methane and nitrogen (CH4 and N-2) in Titan's upper atmosphere through energetic photochemistry and particle bombardment. Though Titan haze has been directly investigated using methods including the Cassini mission, its formation mechanism and the contributing chemical structures and prebiotic potential are still not well developed. We report here the structural investigation of the C-13 and N-15 labeled, simulated Titan haze aerosol (tholin) by solution-state NMR The one-dimensional H-1, C-13, and N-15 NMR spectra and decoupling experiments indicate that the tholin sample contains amine, nitrile, imine, and N-heteroaromatic compounds of tremendous import in understanding complex organic chemistry in anaerobic, extraterrestrial environments.