The Roll of Ammonium Carbamate in Trapping Carbonaceous Species on Outer Planetary Surfaces

The reaction of CO₂ and NH₃ to form ammonium carbamate (CH₆N₂O₂) is fairly well known. Thermal processing of mixtures of CO₂, NH₃, and other species have shown that ammonium carbamate can form and trap some species where they can remain well above their sublimation temperatures. Infrared absorption spectroscopy and a closed-cycle helium cryostat are used to create and analyze the ice mixtures at various temperatures. A series of experiments investigate the capability of ammonium carbamate to trap various molecules while also determining whether or not ammonium carbamate will form with NH₃ mixed with other carbonaceous species.