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Tufts Chemistry

Faculty


Samuel Kounaves

Department of Chemistry
Pearson Chemistry Laboratory
62 Talbot Avenue
Tufts University 
Medford, MA 02155 

Office: P-108B

Tel: 617-627-3124  Cell: 781-526-4137  Fax: 617-627-3443

E-mail: 

Research Homepage: http://planetary.chem.tufts.edu/


Current Appointments

 

Associate Professor of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry
Adjunct Professor of Geology, Department of Geology
Research Affiliate, NASA-Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA

 

Education

 

Postdoctoral Fellow, 1987-88, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA (James Young)
Postdoctoral Research Associate, 1985-86, S.U.N.Y. at Buffalo, NY (Janet Osteryoung)
Ph.D. (D.Sc.), 1985, Université de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland (Jacques Buffle)
B.A., 1975, M.S., 1978, California State University at San Diego/SDSU, CA (Alberto Zirino)

 

Research Interests


In-situ Planetary and Extreme Biogeochemical Analysis The Kounaves group research is aimed at unraveling fundamental questions in planetary science using modern in-situ or on-site analytical systems designed to study the biogeochemistry of extreme environments, where no one has gone before. As Phoenix mission Co-I and Lead Scientist for the Wet Chemistry Lab (WCL), Prof. Kounaves and his group performed the first wet chemical analysis of the martian soil. The experiments revealed an alkaline soil containing a variety of soluble minerals, including perchlorate, that has altered the way we view the chemistry of Mars and its potential to support life. His group is now leading the development of the next generation wet chemical analyses for a future Mars mission. 

 

In addition to the current investigations exploring Mars' geochemistry and its potential for supporting past or present microbial life in surface or subsurface environments, their research (funded by NASA and NSF) also includes understanding the geochemical and environmental history as recorded by the chemistry of planetary surface materials, and the geobiochemistry in extreme environments on Earth in places such as the Antarctic Dry Valleys, Death Valley, and mid-Atlantic deep-ocean thermal vents. They are also interested in applying similar techniques to investigate the surface and sub-glacial oceans on other planetary bodies such as Jupiter's moon, Europa.  The group's research in astrobiology is focused on exploring concepts and analytical techniques for unambiguous detection of microbial life in extraterrestrial settings, and the survivability of organics on Mars' surface.

 

Selected Recent Publications


The Oxidation-Reduction Potential of Aqueous Soil Solutions at the Mars Phoenix Landing Site, R. C. Quinn, J. D. Chittenden, S. P. Kounaves, and M. H. Hecht, Geophys. Res. Lett., 2011, 38, L14202.

 

Soluble Sulfate in the Martian Soil at the Phoenix Landing Site, S. P. Kounaves, M. H. Hecht, J. Kapit, R. C. Quinn, D. C. Catling, B. C. Clark, D. W. Ming, K. Gospodinova, P. Hredzak, K. McElhoney, and J. Shusterman, Geophys. Res. Lett., 2010, 37, L09201.

 

Discovery of Natural Perchlorate in the Antarctic Dry Valleys and its Global Implications,
S. P. Kounaves, S. T. Stroble, R. M. Anderson, Q. Moore, D. C. Catling, S. Douglas, C. P. McKay,
D. W. Ming, P. H. Smith, L. K. Tamppari, A. P. Zent, Environ. Sci. Technol., 2010, 44, 2360-64.

 

Wet Chemistry Experiments on the 2007 Phoenix Mars Scout Lander: Data Analysis and Results
S. P. Kounaves, M. H. Hecht, J. Kapit, K. Gospodinova, L. DeFlores, R. C. Quinn,
W. V. Boynton, B. C. Clark, D. C. Catling, P. Hredzak, D. W. Ming, Q. Moore, J. Shusterman,
S. Stroble, S. J. West, and S. M. Young,. J. Geophys. Res., 2010, 115, E00E10.

 

Detection of Perchlorate and the Soluble Chemistry of Martian Soil at the Phoenix Lander Site,
M. H. Hecht, S. P. Kounaves, R. C. Quinn, S. J. West, S. M. M. Young, D. W. Ming, D. C. Catling, B. C. Clark, W. V. Boynton, J. Hoffman, L. P. DeFlores, K. Gospodinova, J. Kapit, and P. H. Smith
Science, 2009, 325, 64-67.

Evidence for Calcium Carbonate at the Mars Phoenix Landing Site, W. V. Boynton, D. W. Ming,
S. P. Kounaves, S. M. M. Young, R. E. Arvidson, M. H. Hecht, J. Hoffman, P. B. Niles, D. K. Hamara, R. C. Quinn, P. H. Smith, B. Sutter, D. C. Catling, and R. V. Morris, Science, 2009, 325, 61-64.

 

Life on Mars may be hidden like Earth’s extremophiles, S. P. Kounaves, Nature, 2007, 449, 281.

 

 

Complete list of publications can be found at: http://planetary.chem.tufts.edu/publications.html

8/1/2011

Kounaves Research Group
Mars Antarctica  perchlorate
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