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Published March 1988 | public
Journal Article

Kinetic isotopic fractionation and the origin of HDO and CH_3D in the solar system

Abstract

It is argued that photochemical processes, driven by ultraviolet starlight, could lead to large deuterium fractionation for H_2O and CH_4 relative to H_2 in the primitive solar nebula. Implications for deuterium enrichment observed in planetary atmospheres are briefly discussed.

Additional Information

© 1988 Academic Press, Inc. Received May 18, 1987; Revised November 15, 1987. We acknowledge stimulating discussions with E. M. Shoemaker, M. Allen, and J. I. Lunine. We thank R. G. Prinn for pointing out the potential importance of starlight as a means for initiating photochemistry in the Solar System. This work was partly inspired by G. J. Wasserburg's grandiose vision of geochemistry and cosmochemistry in our division although there is no conceivable correlation between this humble research and his grandiose vision. Support by NASA Grants NSG 7376 and NAGW 313 of the Planetary Atmospheres Program is gratefully acknowledged. RRF and JPP are supported by NASA NRC fellowships.

Additional details

Created:
August 22, 2023
Modified:
October 17, 2023