%0 Journal Article %1 ZAHNLE1995 %A ZAHNLE, K. %A MACLOW, M. M. %A LODDERS, K. %A FEGLEY, B. %D 1995 %J Geophysical Research Letters %K imported %N 12 %P 1593--1596 %T SULFUR CHEMISTRY IN THE WAKE OF COMET SHOEMAKER-LEVY-9 %V 22 %X A curious and unexpected result of the impact of P/Shoemaker Levy 9 with Jupiter was the production of enormous amounts of molecular sulfur (S-2). Here we show that S-2 is the natural product of disequilibrium chemistry at low pressures in shocked jovian air, its formation a byproduct of hydrogen recombination. The species observed by the HST - S-2, CS2, and H2Simply that the G fragment penetrated the NH4 SH cloud but did not reach the water table. A typical impact within or below the NH4SH clouds produces about 0.03-0.1 impactor masses of S-2. Because comets are relatively hydrogen-poor, SO2, not S-2, is the major product of shocking a water-rich comet, while S-2, CS2, and OCS are major products of a dessicated comet. In all cases we find that as the gas cools St converts to the stable low temperature allotrope S-8, although other chemical fates not modeled here might intervene first.

@article{ZAHNLE1995, abstract = {A curious and unexpected result of the impact of P/Shoemaker Levy 9 with Jupiter was the production of enormous amounts of molecular sulfur (S-2). Here we show that S-2 is the natural product of disequilibrium chemistry at low pressures in shocked jovian air, its formation a byproduct of hydrogen recombination. The species observed by the HST - S-2, CS2, and H2Simply that the G fragment penetrated the NH4 SH cloud but did not reach the water table. A typical impact within or below the NH4SH clouds produces about 0.03-0.1 impactor masses of S-2. Because comets are relatively hydrogen-poor, SO2, not S-2, is the major product of shocking a water-rich comet, while S-2, CS2, and OCS are major products of a dessicated comet. In all cases we find that as the gas cools St converts to the stable low temperature allotrope S-8, although other chemical fates not modeled here might intervene first.}, added-at = {2009-11-03T20:21:25.000+0100}, author = {ZAHNLE, K. and MACLOW, M. M. and LODDERS, K. and FEGLEY, B.}, biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/2e50b81ea980ff0ee0f99767a8edb4b18/svance}, interhash = {cca480dedcb19303a443212097144237}, intrahash = {e50b81ea980ff0ee0f99767a8edb4b18}, journal = {Geophysical Research Letters}, keywords = {imported}, number = 12, owner = {svance}, pages = {1593--1596}, timestamp = {2009-11-03T20:22:21.000+0100}, title = {SULFUR CHEMISTRY IN THE WAKE OF COMET SHOEMAKER-LEVY-9}, volume = 22, year = 1995 }