perchlorate
pur-KLOR-ayt
Definition
A chemical salt containing chlorine and oxygen that can lower the freezing point of water and help form liquid brines in extremely cold environments, such as on Mars.
Etymology
The word is formed from the prefix 'per-' (meaning thoroughly or to an extreme degree) combined with 'chlorate' (a salt of chloric acid), reflecting its high oxygen content relative to other chlorine salts.
In the news
Perchlorate is discussed as the crucial agent that allows thin layers of frost on Mars to briefly form tiny, liquid-like brines, despite the planet's freezing temperatures and low pressure.
NASA’s Viking 2 lander photographed frost forming on Mars in the 1970s. Nearly half a century later, a University of Arkansas researcher fed its old weather measurements into a model and found something Viking’s scientists never knew: for roughly 30 Martia
Read the full article ↗Space Daily