Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Astrophysical implications of amorphous ice—a microporous solid

Nature volume 319, pages 298–301 (1986)Cite this article

Abstract

Since the observation of the 3-µm band in interstellar infrared sources1–3, vapour-deposited amorphous ice, H2O(as), has been discussed as a major component of comets4–9, of satellites of the outer planets10,11 and of interstellar dust11–13. Some of the physical properties of H2O(as) important for these discussions appear to be contradictory: for example N2 adsorption isotherms at 77 K evaluated by the BET method24 gave surface areas of 241 m2 g−1 according to Ghormley14,15, but less than 12 m2 g−1 according to others16,17. We have reinvestigated adsorption of N2 on H2O(as) and find that it is a microporous solid. The differences between adsorption phenomena taking place in micropores and on the surface of intermediate pores or non-porous adsorbents should be of general importance for the various speculations of the role of H2O(as) in space. In particular, we discuss the influence of micro-pores on the H2 recombination rate on H2O(as) in interstellar dust and on adsorption of volatile gases in comets.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Gillett, F. C. & Forrest, W. J. Astrophys. J. 179, 483 (1973).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Gillett, F. C., Jones, T. W., Merrill, K. M. & Stein, W. A. Astr. Astrophys. 45, 77–81 (1975).

    ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Merrill, K. M., Russell, R. W. & Soifer, B. T. Astrophys. J. 207, 763–769 (1976).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Patashnick, H., Rupprecht, G. & Schuerman, D. W. Nature 250, 313–314 (1974).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Klinger, J. Science 209, 271–272 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Smoluchowski, R. Astrophys. J. Lett. 244, L31–L34 (1981).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. Klinger, J. Icarus 47, 320–324 (1981).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Klinger, J. J. phys. Chem. 87, 4209–4214 (1983).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Delsemme, A. H. J. Phys. Chem. 87, 4214–4218 (1983).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Smoluchowski, R. Science 201, 809–811 (1978).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Smoluchowski, R. Astrophys. Space Sci. 65, 29–38 (1979).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Smoluchowski, R. Astrophys. Space Sci. 75, 353–363 (1981).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Smoluchowski, R. J. phys. Chem. 87, 4229–4233 (1983).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Ghormley, J. A. J. chem. Phys. 46, 1321–1325 (1967).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Ghormley, J. A. J. chem. Phys. 48, 503–508 (1968).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Adamson, A. W., Dormant, L. M. & Oram, M. J. J. Colloid Interface Sci. 25, 206–217 (1967).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Ocampo, J. & Klinger, J. J. Colloid Interface Sci. 86, 377–383 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Everett, D. H. Pure appl. Chem. 31, 579–638 (1972).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Gregg, S. J. & Sing, K. S. W. Adsorption, Surface Area and Porosity (Academic, New York, 1982).

    Google Scholar 

  20. Dubinin, M. M. J. Colloid Interface Sci. 23, 487–499 (1967); Prog. Surface membrane Sci. 9, 1–70 (1975).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Everett, D. H. & Fowl, J. C. JCS Faraday Trans. I 72, 619–636 (1976).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Mayer, E. & Pletzer, R. J. chem. Phys. 80, 2939–2952 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Mayer, E. & Pletzer, R. in Ices in the Solar System (eds Klinger, J. Benest, D., Dollfus, A. & Smoluchowski, R.) 81–88 (Reidel, Dordrecht, 1985).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  24. Sing, K. S. W. Pure appl Chem. 54, 2201–2218 (1982).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Dubinin, M. M. & Radushkevich, L. V. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. USSR 55, 331 (1947).

    Google Scholar 

  26. Sing, K. S. W. Chem. Ind. 829–830 (1967).

  27. Brown, L. E. & Hall, P. G. Trans. Faraday Soc. 67, 3558–3564 (1971).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Lee, J. A. & Newnham, C. E. J. Colloid Interface Sci. 56, 391–394 (1976).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Marsh, H. & Rand, B. in 3rd Conf. Industrial Carbon and Graphite, 93 (Academic, London, 1970).

    Google Scholar 

  30. Seiber, B. A., Wood, B. E. & Smith, A. M. Science 170, 652–654 (1970).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Ghormley, J. A. & Hochanadel, C. J. Science 171, 62–64 (1971).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Sceats, M. G. & Rice, S. A. in Water, a Comprehensive Treatise Vol. 7 (ed. Franks, F.) Ch. 2 (Plenum, New York, 1982).

    Google Scholar 

  33. Narten, A. H., Venkatesh, C. G. & Rice, S. A. J. chem. Phys. 64, 1106–1121 (1976).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Temkin, R. J., Paul, W. & Connell, G. A. Adv. Phys. 22, 581–641 (1973).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Ehrenreich, H. & Turnbull, D. J. Non-Crystalline Solids 8–10, 19–35 (1972).

    Google Scholar 

  36. Bienenstock, A. Amorphous Liquid Semiconductors, Proc. 5th int. Conf. (Taylor & Francis, London, 1974).

    Google Scholar 

  37. Alben, R. & Boutron, P. Science 187, 430–432 (1975).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Mayer, E. & Pletzer, R. J. chem. Phys. (in the press).

  39. Aharoni, C. & Suzin, Y. in Characterization of Porous Solids (eds Gregg, S. J., Sing, K. S. W. & Stoeckli, H. F.) 173–180 (Society of Chemical Industry, London, 1979).

    Google Scholar 

  40. Hollenbach, D. & Salpeter, E. E. J. chem. Phys. 53, 79–86 (1970).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Hollenbach, D. & Salpeter, E. E. Astrophys. J. 163, 155–164 (1971).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  42. Ponec, V., Knor, Z. & Černý, S. Adsorption on Solids, 373 (Butterworths, London, 1974).

    Google Scholar 

  43. Brackmann, R. T. & Fite, W. L. J. chem. Phys. 34, 1572–1579 (1961).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. Covers, T. R., Mattera, L. & Scoles, G. J. chem Phys. 72, 5446–5455 (1980).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  45. Schutte, A., Bassi, D., Tommasini, F. & Turelli, A. J. chem Phys. 64, 4135–4142 (1976).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  46. Whipple, F. L. Astrophys. J. 111, 375–394 (1950), 113, 464–474 (1951).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  47. Delsemme, A. H. & Swings, P. Ann. Astrophys. 15, 1–6 (1952).

    ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  48. Miller, S. L. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 47, 1798–1808 (1961).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  49. Delsemme, A. H. & Wenger, A. Planet. Space Sci. 18, 709–715 (1970).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  50. Barrer, R. M. & Edge, A. V. Proc. R Soc. A300, 1–24 (1967).

    ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Anorganische und Analytische Chemie, Universität Innsbruck, A-6020, Innsbruck, Austria

    Erwin Mayer & Rudolf Pletzer

Authors
  1. Erwin Mayer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Rudolf Pletzer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mayer, E., Pletzer, R. Astrophysical implications of amorphous ice—a microporous solid. Nature 319, 298–301 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1038/319298a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/319298a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing