William Eisen
William and Mary, Biochemistry
Methylamine Production from the Reduction of Inorganic Carbon on Enceladus
Dr. Christopher Glein, Southwest Research Institute
I think that the most important and definitely most useful things Science Research has taught me is how to read journal articles and how to process the world scientifically.
Enceladus is a small moon of Saturn with big possibilities. Beneath its icy surface is a vast ocean of liquid water that contains hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor. Methylamine, a compound containing carbon, nitrogen, and hydrogen, that is formed from many biotic processes has recently been discovered on Enceladus. This study sets out to try to determine if the methylamine found on Enceladus can be produced abiotically in the hydrothermal vents and with what conditions. First, the foundations of a new model of Enceladus's ocean were created using the SUPCRT92 and Geochemist's Workbench software. The inorganic carbon reactions at different temperatures, pH, and redox conditions were analyzed to see what constraints yield the amount of methylamine that has been predicted on Enceladus. There exists a good estimate of the conditions in the hydrothermal system of Enceladus, so this study can either help reaffirm those ideas or challenge them and lead to new thinking about Enceladus. It was found that the peak amount of methylamine occurred at a temperature of around 50°C and an acidic pH. Further research includes studying other factors such as the redox conditions and how they affect methylamine concentration.
Science Research Symposium 2021 - Room 1
Student Panelists: Talia Spatz, Janice Yohannen, Quinn Connor, Juliet Lovelace, Will Eisen
Link to join the webinar: https://zoom.us/j/93970114596
Telephone: 1 646 558 8656
Webinar ID: 939 7011 4596