The ion chemistry of methylenimine and propionitrile and their relevance to Titan

We report here the results of a flowing afterglow-selected ion flow tube laboratory study of the ion–molecule reactions of a series of hydrocarbon ions and simple nitrile ions with methylamine, CH3NH2, methylenimine, CH2NH, and propionitrile, C2H5CN at room temperature. When an available exchange proton on the reactant ion was present, collision-rate proton transfer was observed in almost all reactions. The work was motivated by recent observations by the ion neutral mass spectrometer aboard the Cassini space craft as it traversed the upper atmosphere of Titan, Saturn's largest satellite.