Shock-induced polymerization

Acetylene has been observed in the atmospheres of Jupiter and Titan [33, 34] and more recently has been identified in significant abundance in comet Hyakutake [35]. Following the discovery of acetylene in Hyakutake, photochemical experiments have demonstrated [36] that this molecule is a likely precursor of C2, a widely observed component of comets. Acetylene itself may therefore be a ubiquitous constituent of comets. It has been proposed [37] that polymerization of acetylene in cometary impact on planetary atmospheres may be responsible for the formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) which may in turn be responsible for the colors of the atmospheres of Jupiter and Titan. Shock-induced polymerization of acetylene has been observed in the gas phase [38], and static high-pressure experiments have demonstrated polymerization of orthorhombic solid acetylene above 3 to... 

Since the discovery of piezoelectricity on certain asymmetrical crystals like quartz by J. and P. Curie in 1880, the piezoelectricity of various crystals has been extensively studied on account of its importance in science and technology (Cady, 1964 Mason, 1950). Early work on the piezoelectricity of polymeric materials is found in the paper by Brain (1924) who investigated the piezoelectricity of various dielectrics including ebonite, rubber, and celluloid. In 1965, Harris (1965), Allison (1965), and Hauver (1965) investigated both experimentally and theoretically the shock-induced polarization of plastics. 

These anthracene simulations indicate that PAHs of moderate size may survive and even undergo polymerization reactions under shock impact conditions to be expected in cometary impacts on planetary atmospheres. Preliminary simulations of shock-induced chemistry in naphthalene [51] suggest a similar reaction threshold for the smallest PAH as well. 

Kotlyarov, A., Laass, K., Gaestel, M. (2001). Heat shock protein 27 is a substrate of cGM P-dependent protein kinase in intact human platelets phosphorylation-induced actin polymerization caused by HSP27 mutants. / Biol. Chem. 276, 7108-7113. 

Heneka, M.T. Loschmann, P.-A. Osswald, H. Polymerized hemoglobin restores cardiovascular and kidney function in endotoxin-induced shock in the rat. J. Clin. Invest. 1997, 99, 47-54. 

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