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

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

    Source

    Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA. michael.h.hecht@jpl.nasa.gov

    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.

    PMID:
    19574385
    [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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