In terms of its molecular structure it consists of a vinyl group linked to a nitrile it is an important monomer for the manufacture of useful plastics such as polyacrylonitrile.
Vinyl cyanide membrane.
The compound might be suitable for cell membranes.
They proposed that vinyl cyanide molecules could come together as a sheet of material similar to a cell membrane.
Molecular modeling studies of a variety of molecules containing these elements showed that vinyl cyanide was the molecule most likely to form a stable and flexible membrane that acts like earth based membranes under titan s conditions.
The chemical vinyl cyanide was discovered on titan by astronomer maureen palmer and a team of researchers at nasa goddard.
To further investigate the role of vinyl cyanide on titan scientists will need to conduct more laboratory simulations study membrane formation in methane rich environments and keep combing.
Vinyl cyanide found on titan aliens have at it.
In the right conditions vinyl cyanide could form cell membranes.
Acrylonitrile is an organic compound with the formula ch 2 chcn.
Recent simulations have indicated that vinyl cyanide is the best candidate molecule for the formation of cell membranes vesicle structures in titan s hydrocarbon rich lakes and seas.
It is a colorless volatile liquid although commercial samples can be yellow due to impurities.
The sheet could form a hollow microscopic sphere that they dubbed an azotosome.
Going by mass alone there s enough.
Although the existence of vinyl cyanide c2h3cn on titan was previously inferred using cassini mass spectrometry a definitive detection has been lacking until now.
It has a pungent odor of garlic or onions.
Still the fact that vinyl cyanide has the theorized ability to form membranous balls is even more tantalizing now that we know how abundant it is on titan.