Tholins are aerosols that form a haze in the upper stratosphere of Titan. Over geologic time, both tholins and condensates of the organic gases accumulate in substantial amounts on the surface as liquid and solid. Titan’s surface is then a repository of interesting organic molecules generated in the almost complete absence of water but sitting on top of ice. Until recently, researchers have been very careful find more in their speculations about what might be happening after these molecules get to the surface of Titan. What kind of organic chemistry occurs on the surface? Titan’s thick atmosphere protects the surface and organics from harmful cosmic rays and ultraviolet radiation. It has been suggested that these

organics could have been subjected to impact processing on BAY 73-4506 cell line Titan’s surface (Thompson and Sagan, 1991; Artemevia and Lunine, 2003) and participate in the formation of products relevant to life (Artemevia and Lunine, 2003) such as amino acids, carboxylic acids (Thompson et al., 1992), purines and pyrimidines (Thompson and Sagan, 1991). Subsequent

selleck products impacts would probably have recycled some of the organic material back into the atmosphere (McKay et al., 1988). Furthermore the presence of condensable agents (C2N2, HCN, etc.) along with a natural concentrating mechanism makes polymerization of amino acids or others species likely (Thompson and Sagan, 1991). Laboratory simulations of meteoritic impact shocks onto Titan’s icy surface have not yet been carried out, but preliminary experiments have been performed for Epothilone B (EPO906, Patupilone) planetary icy satellites (Nna-Mvondo et al., 2008). In these previous experiments, the possible chemical production induced by micrometeorite impact shocks on ices has been studied using a high-energy pulsed Nd-YAG laser to reproduce the shock phenomena during hypervelocity micrometeorite impacts into the icy material. The results show the production of various organics and inorganics. Here we have decided to extend our experiments of laser ablation on ice to a simulated Titan’s environment in order to study the effect of meteoritic impacts on the organic chemistry occurring on Titan’s surface and to investigate the fate of tholins once

condensated into the icy surface and bombarded by meteoritic impacts. Artemevia, N., and Lunive, J. (2003). Cratering on Titan: impact melt, ejecta, and the fate of surface organics. Icarus, 164: 471–480. McKay, C.P., Scattergood, T.W., Pollack, J.B., Borucki, W.J., and Van Ghyseghem, H.T. (1988). High-temperature shock formation of N2 and organics on primordial Titan. Nature, 332: 20–522. Nna-Mvondo, D., Khare, B., Ishihara, T., McKay, C.P. (2008). Experimental impact shock chemistry on planetary icy satellites. Icarus, 194:822–835. Thompson, W.R., and Sagan, C. (1991). Organic chemistry on Titan–Surface interactions. Proceedings of Symposium on Titan, Toulouse, France, September, 9–12, 1991, ESA SP-338, pages 167–176. Thompson, W.R., Sagan, C., Stephenson, D., and Wing, M.