The reaction of CN with acetylene as a possible intermediate step to produce large anions in Titan's ionosphere.

A theoretical and experimental investigation of the reaction CN + CH has been carried out. This reaction is of astrophysical interest since the growth mechanism of large anions that have been detected in Titan's upper atmosphere by the Cassini plasma spectrometer are still largely unknown. The experimental studies have been performed using a tandem quadrupole mass spectrometer which allows identification of the different reaction channels and assessment of their reaction thresholds.