Discovery changes chemistry on Saturn's moon Titan

NEWS CENTER

Created: October 23, 2025 10:36

According to research led by chemist Fernando Izquierdo-Ruiz of Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, this “new type of matter” could be quite abundant on Titan’s surface. “These findings are extremely exciting for our understanding of the chemistry of a moon as large as Mercury,” says Prof. Martin Rahm of Chalmers.

The 'LIKE SOLVE LIKE' RULE HAS COLLAPSED

Titan is one of the most unique bodies in the universe, offering clues about how life might have emerged. Its surface contains lakes of methane and ethane, and its atmosphere contains complex organic compounds like hydrogen cyanide. This molecule plays a crucial role in reactions that can form the building blocks of life, such as amino acids and nucleobases.

However, hydrogen cyanide is a strongly polar molecule and shouldn't be mixed with nonpolar (i.e., neutral) substances like methane and ethane. This is why, according to the chemistry rule of "like dissolves like," water doesn't mix with oil.

To understand how these molecules behave on Titan, a team from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory conducted an experiment at -180°C (-180°F). At this temperature, hydrogen cyanide is crystalline, while methane and ethane are liquid. The team analyzed the changes after the experiment and included experts from Chalmers University to decipher the data.

IMPOSSIBLE PARTNERSHIP IN TITAN

In the second laboratory experiment, methane, ethane, propane, and butane were added to hydrogen cyanide crystals. Raman spectroscopy measurements revealed small but distinct shifts in the molecules' vibrations. This meant that polar and nonpolar substances weren't just sitting side by side; they were actually interacting.

Computer models confirmed this suspicion: methane and ethane molecules had entered the cavities of the hydrogen cyanide crystal, forming a new structure called a "co-crystal." Because the molecules move so slowly at Titan's extremely low temperatures, these substances, which normally repel each other, can form stable compounds. "This unexpected interaction could fundamentally change our understanding of Titan's geology and the formation of methane seas," Rahm said.

WE WILL WAIT FOR DRAGONFLY FOR ANSWERS

Whether this unusual chemistry truly exists on Titan 's surface will have to wait a while longer. NASA 's Dragonfly rover is scheduled to land on Titan in 2034. Until then, these findings serve as a striking reminder that even the fundamental rules of science can change in different corners of the universe.