A chemical compound we traditionally use as a disinfectant seems to be one of the Martian rains components. Scientists hope that results of the recent experiments may help understand why there are no organic molecules on the Red Planet’s surface.
America’s space craft Viking got probes from the Mars surface in 1976, and the probes revealed no traces of life and living creatures. Later expeditions could not discover organic substances on Mars either. So, based on those results researchers supposed that organic substances on the Red Planet were destroyed with hydrogen peroxide which humans on Earth use as bleachers and disinfectants.
However, there was no exact evidence of hydrogen peroxide on Mars and it was not clear where it came from in huge amounts to destroy the entire of the organic Martian material.
Newscientistspace reports that recent experiments conducted at the University of California showed that such a phenomenon may actually occur. The friction of dust particles during Martian storms results in electric discharges that destroy molecules of water steam and carbon dioxide.
Atoms appearing after the disintegration interact with each other and produce hydrogen peroxide. Then, it drops on the Martian surface as rain and thus absolutely ‘disinfects’ it. Hydrogen peroxide destroys all molecules that may give life, and this is the reason why the surface of the Red Planet is dead, American experts state.
Pravda.ru
Translated by Maria Kapitanova
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