Vertical Distribution of Cyclopropenylidene and Propadiene in the Atmosphere of Titan

Titan's atmosphere is a natural laboratory for exploring the photochemical synthesis of organic molecules. Significant recent advances in the study of the atmosphere of Titan include: (a) detection of C-3 molecules: C3H6, CH2CCH2, c-C3H2, and (b) retrieval of C6H6, which is formed primarily via C-3 chemistry, from Cassini Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph data. The detection of c-C3H2 is of particular significance as ring molecules are of great astrobiological importance. Using the Caltech/JPL KINETICS code, along with the best available photochemical rate coefficients and parameterized vertical transport, we are able to account for the recent observations. It is significant that ion chemistry, reminiscent of that in the interstellar medium, plays a major role in the production of c-C3H2 above 1000 km.

Automated summary

Titan's atmosphere serves as a natural laboratory for studying the synthesis of organic molecules. Recent advancements in this field include the detection of C-3 molecules and ring molecules. By using computational codes and reaction rate coefficients, researchers have been able to explain the observed data and identify the significant role of ion chemistry in the production of c-C3H2 at high altitudes.