Scientists find gas on Venus linked to life on Earth
Published 1 min ago on September 14, 2020
By Agence France-Presse
The atmosphere of Venus contains traces of phosphine gas — which on Earth can be attributed to living organisms — scientists said on Monday, in a fresh insight into conditions on our nearest planetary neighbor.
Conditions on Venus are often described as hellish with daytime temperatures hot enough to melt lead and an atmosphere comprised almost entirely of carbon dioxide.
A team of experts used telescopes in Hawaii and Chile’s Atacama Desert to observe Venus’ upper cloud deck, around 60 kilometers (45 miles) from the surface.
They detected traces of phosphine, a flammable gas that on Earth often occurs from the breakdown of organic matter.
https://www.rawstory.com/2020/09/scientists-find-gas-on-venus-linked-to-life-on-earth/
PH3
Phosphine
Chemical compound
Phosphine is the compound with the chemical formula PH₃. It is a colorless, flammable, toxic gas and is classed as a pnictogen hydride. Pure phosphine is odorless, but technical grade samples have a highly unpleasant odor like garlic or rotting fish, due to the presence of substituted phosphine and diphosphane. a
IUPAC ID: Phosphane
Molar mass: 33.99758 g/mol
Boiling point: -125.9°F (-87.7°C)
Formula: PH3
Melting point: -207°F (-132.8°C)
Density: 1.38 kg/m³
Molecular shape: Trigonal pyramidal molecular geometry
