Detection of perchlorate and the soluble chemistry of martian soil at the Phoenix lander site

Science. 2009 Jul 3;325(5936):64-7. doi: 10.1126/science.1172466.

Abstract

The Wet Chemistry Laboratory on the Phoenix Mars Lander performed aqueous chemical analyses of martian soil from the polygon-patterned northern plains of the Vastitas Borealis. The solutions contained approximately 10 mM of dissolved salts with 0.4 to 0.6% perchlorate (ClO4) by mass leached from each sample. The remaining anions included small concentrations of chloride, bicarbonate, and possibly sulfate. Cations were dominated by Mg2+ and Na+, with small contributions from K+ and Ca2+. A moderately alkaline pH of 7.7 +/- 0.5 was measured, consistent with a carbonate-buffered solution. Samples analyzed from the surface and the excavated boundary of the approximately 5-centimeter-deep ice table showed no significant difference in soluble chemistry.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Anions*
  • Cations*
  • Chemical Phenomena
  • Extraterrestrial Environment
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Mars*
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Perchlorates*
  • Solubility
  • Spacecraft
  • Temperature
  • Water

Substances

  • Anions
  • Cations
  • Perchlorates
  • Water
  • perchlorate