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756129 
Journal Article 
Detection of perchlorate and the soluble chemistry of martian soil at the Phoenix lander site 
Hecht, MH; Kounaves, SP; Quinn, RC; West, SJ; Young, SM; Ming, DW; Catling, DC; Clark, BC; Boynton, WV; Hoffman, J; Deflores, LP; Gospodinova, K; Kapit, J; Smith, PH 
2009 
1 
Science
ISSN: 0036-8075
EISSN: 1095-9203 
325 
5936 
64-67 
English 
19574385 
The Wet Chemistry Laboratory on the Phoenix Mars Lander performed aqueous chemical analyses of martian soil from the polygon-patterned northern plains of the Vastitas Borealis. The solutions contained approximately 10 mM of dissolved salts with 0.4 to 0.6% perchlorate (ClO4) by mass leached from each sample. The remaining anions included small concentrations of chloride, bicarbonate, and possibly sulfate. Cations were dominated by Mg2+ and Na+, with small contributions from K+ and Ca2+. A moderately alkaline pH of 7.7 +/- 0.5 was measured, consistent with a carbonate-buffered solution. Samples analyzed from the surface and the excavated boundary of the approximately 5-centimeter-deep ice table showed no significant difference in soluble chemistry.