Gas chromatography for in situ analysis of a cometary nucleus: III. Multi-capillary column system for the cometary sampling and composition experiment of the Rosetta lander probe

Abstract

The cometary sampling and composition (COSAC) experiment is one of the principal experiments of the surface lander probe of the European Space Agency Rosetta mission to be launched in January 2003. The instrument is designed for the in situ chemical analysis of a cometary nucleus as the details of the nucleus composition are of primary importance for understanding both the formation of the solar system, and the origin of life on Earth. The COSAC experiment consists of an evaporation/pyrolysis device and two analytical systems: a multi-column gas chromatograph and a high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometer which may either be operated alone or in a coupled mode. The gas chromatograph includes five general purpose chromatographic columns and three chiral ones, all mounted in parallel. Taking into account the chemical species potentially present in the cometary nucleus as well as the space constraints, a set of five complementary columns was selected to perform the separation and identification of the compounds present in the cometary nucleus. This set of columns includes a carbon molecular sieve porous-layer open tubular (PLOT) column used for the separation of both the noble and other permanent gases, and the C 1–C 2 hydrocarbons. A second PLOT column uses a divinylbenzene–ethylene glycol–dimethylacrylate porous polymer as stationary phase for the analysis of a wide range of C 1–C 2 organic molecules. Two complementary wall-coated open tubular (WCOT) columns with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) liquid stationary phases, one containing cyanopropyl–phenylsiloxane and the other diphenylsiloxane groups, are designed to target the same range of organic compounds (C 3–C 7) which could be representative of the widest range of cometary compounds. A third WCOT column with an apolar stationary phase made of non-substituted PDMS is used for the separation and identification of higher-molecular-mass compounds (up to C 10) and aromatic species (monoaromatic and polyaromatic). This paper describes these five general-purpose capillary PLOT and WCOT columns, selected to be used in the COSAC GC system. The analytical capabilities are examined with a special emphasis on the exobiological and planetological implications.