An ICR study of ion-molecules reactions relevant to Titan's atmosphere: an investigation of binary hydrocarbon mixtures up to 1 micron.

Results are reported for studies of binary mixtures of hydrocarbons exposed to low-energy electron impact ionization. A variety of experimental methods are used: conventional ICR mass spectrometry, the standard double resonance in an ICR for determination of the precursor ions, and the modulated double resonance ejection in an ICR for the determination of the daughter ions. A flowing afterglow-selected ion flow tube experiment (FA-SIFT) was used for validation and examination of termolecular reactions. An extensive database of reaction kinetics already exists for many of these reactions. The main point of this study was the determination of the accuracy of this database and the identification of missing reactions and reaction channels. An effort was made to extend the study to the highest pressures possible to determine if any important termolecular reaction channels were present that were not recognized in earlier investigations. A new approach was used here. In the binary mixtures of hydrocarbon gases, mass spectra were obtained as a function of independent pressure changes of both gases. All the mass peaks in the spectra were fitted using existing kinetic data as a starting point. A model of the ion abundances was then produced from the solution of the partial differential equations derived from the kinetics in terms of reaction rate coefficients and initial abundances. The model was fitted to the data for all of the pressures by a least-squares fit to the reaction rate coefficients and initial abundances. The kinetic parameters were then adjusted if required.