Production of nitric oxide by lightning on Venus

Levine, Joel S.; Gregory, G. L.; Harvey, G. A.; Howell, W. E.; Borucki, W. J.; Orville, Richard E.

doi:10.1029/gl009i008p00893

Cited by 57 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 32 publications

(12 reference statements)

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“…Yung and McElroy, 1979) to as high as 3500 K (e.g. The theoretical NO production rate by lightning for pressurs of 1, 10 and 100 bars over a range of temperatures for mixture of Levine et al (1982), whose experimental result is shown for comparison. These theoretical results were obtained using a thermodynamic equilibrium model based upon a 'freezeout' temperature, the temperature above which the chemical reactions are assumed to be extremely rapid and chemical equilibrium is achieved.…”

Section: Calculations Of Lightning Production Of No Xmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…We have calculated nitrogen fixation by lightning in a broad range of CO 2 -N 2 mixtures overlapping the experimental work of Levine et aL (1982). Figure 1 depicts the theoretical NO production rate for shock pressures of 1, 10, and 100 bars over a range of temperatures for the mixture of Levine et aL (1982).…”

Section: Calculations Of Lightning Production Of No Xmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Unfortunately, this resulted in basing results upon a freeze-out temperature of 3500 K. By comparing theoretical calculations to experimental results, we show that the freeze-out temperature is probably closer to 2000 K, and we use this value in our improved calculations. The only experimental work on abiotic dinitrogen fixation in a predominantly CO 2 atmosphere is that of Levine et al (1982), who performed experiments in which lightning was simulated by an electrical spark in an atmosphere composed of 95.9O7o CO 2, 3.97°70 N 2, 180 ppm SO2, 50 ppm Ar, and 30 ppm CO, at a total pressure of 1 bar. They obtained an NO production rate of 3.7 + 0.7 × 1015 molecules/J.…”

Section: Calculations Of Lightning Production Of No Xmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The evolution of nitrogen cycling

Mancinelli

McKay

1988

Origins Life Evol Biosphere

160

107

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Based upon arguments concerning properties of the environment and the energetics of nitrogen transformation reactions, new hypotheses regarding their evolution are presented. These hypotheses are supported by new calculations and observations germane to understanding the evolution of the nitrogen cycle. From calculations of shock production by meteor impact, we suggest that impact produced fixed nitrogen could have resulted in the entire reservoir of Earth's N2 being converted into fixed nitrogen at the end of accretion. We have significantly improved upon previous calculations of the abiotic fixation rate on the early earth and find a rate of fixation by lightning of approximately 1-3 x 10(16) molecules NO/J, which is 2 to 3 times greater than previous estimates. This strengthens the suggestion, corroborated by the predominance of a single nitrogenase enzyme, that biological nitrogen fixation may have been a late evolutionary development, after the development of an aerobic atmosphere. In addition, we show for the first time that HNO, predicted to be the main product of atmospheric photochemical reactions involving NO on the primitive Earth by photochemical models, would eventually become NO2- and NO3- after reaching the Earth's surface. Based upon microbe-environment interactions on an ecological as well as a biochemical scale we suggest that denitrification arose prior to aerobic respiration and that nitrification arose after the advent of an aerobic atmosphere. We hypothesize the following evolutionary sequence for the biological transformation of nitrogen compounds: Ammonification --> Denitrification --> Nitrification --> Nitrogen fixation.

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Section: Calculations Of Lightning Production Of No Xmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Calculations Of Lightning Production Of No Xmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Calculations Of Lightning Production Of No Xmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The evolution of nitrogen cycling

Mancinelli

McKay

1988

Origins Life Evol Biosphere

160

107

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“…(Levine et al, 1982) for comparison. After calculating lightning flash rates for our 0.1-, 1-, and 10-bar pCO 2 cases, we use this plot to evaluate the lightning-generated NO flux in the troposphere for each case.…”

Section: Photochemical Production Of Noxmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrogen Oxides in Early Earth's Atmosphere as Electron Acceptors for Life's Emergence

et al. 2017

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We quantify the amount of nitrogen oxides (NOx) produced through lightning and photochemical processes in the Hadean atmosphere to be available in the Hadean ocean for the emergence of life. Atmospherically generated nitrate (NO 3 -) and nitrite (NO 2 -) are the most attractive high-potential electron acceptors for pulling and enabling crucial redox reactions of autotrophic metabolic pathways at submarine alkaline hydrothermal vents. The Hadean atmosphere, dominated by CO 2 and N 2 , will produce nitric oxide (NO) when shocked by lightning. Photochemical reactions involving NO and H 2 O vapor will then produce acids such as HNO, HNO 2 , HNO 3 , and HO 2 NO 2 that rain into the ocean. There, they dissociate into or react to form nitrate and nitrite. We present new calculations based on a novel combination of early-Earth global climate model and photochemical modeling, and we predict the flux of NOx to the Hadean ocean. In our 0.1-, 1-, and 10-bar pCO 2 models, we calculate the NOx delivery to be 2.4 · 10 . After only tens of thousands to tens of millions of years, these NOx fluxes are expected to produce sufficient (micromolar) ocean concentrations of high-potential electron acceptors for the emergence of life.

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“…They follow two separate approaches: (1) a bank of capacitors is discharged into a gas mixture having the components of Venus's atmosphere, and then the byproducts of the discharge are analyzed [Levine et al, 1979[Levine et al, , 1982Borucki et al, 1983]; and (2) a focused laser creates a plasma in the gas mix, and the residual gases are analyzed using mass spectrometers [e.g., Borucki et al, 1996;Jebens et al, 1992]. Most of the experiments based on capacitor discharges were made with short gaps: 5-50 mm and a 1 atm pressure [Levine et al, 1979[Levine et al, , 1982Borucki et al, 1983]. The use of mass spectroscopy in these experiments allowed to quantify the yield of CO and NO produced by the discharge.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Space charge effects and arc properties of simulated lightning on Venus

2011

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[1] An experimental investigation of the physical properties of lightning on Venus was carried out by applying fast impulses to a pressurized (1-2.8 atm) CO 2 -N 2 gas mix. The maximum current employed in the experiments was 2.8 kA. It was found that the pressure has a marked effect on the measured electric field. This effect is mostly due to negative ions created by electron attachment. This negative space charge could hamper breakdown on Venus if the clouds are negatively charged. Using a time-resolved spectroscopic technique, the instantaneous temperature of the arc was measured. This varies from 29,000 K soon after the arc appears to 14,000 K some 15 ms later. The arc's linear resistance and the power it dissipates were estimated using the Spitzer resistivity model and the measured temperatures. The linear resistance was found to be in the 17-233 W m −1 interval, which is comparable to the values of terrestrial lightning. The by-products of the discharge were analyzed using a mass analyzer, and it was found that the discharge decomposes the CO 2 into CO and O at similar rates. Our estimate of the CO yield is 2.7 × 10 18 molecules J −1 .Citation: Robledo-Martinez, A., H. Sobral, and A. Ruiz-Meza (2011), Space charge effects and arc properties of simulated lightning on Venus,

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Production of nitric oxide by lightning on Venus

Cited by 57 publications

References 32 publications

The evolution of nitrogen cycling

The evolution of nitrogen cycling

Nitrogen Oxides in Early Earth's Atmosphere as Electron Acceptors for Life's Emergence

Space charge effects and arc properties of simulated lightning on Venus

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