| Abstract: | Because of the high temperatures prevailing in the lower atmosphere of Venus, its chemistry is dominated by the tendency toward thermodynamic equilibrium. From the atomic composition deduced spectroscopically, the thermodynamic equilibrium composition of the atmosphere of Venus is computed, and the following conclusions drawn. (i) There can be no free carbon, hydrocarbons, formaldehyde, or any other organic molecule present in more than trace amounts. (ii) The original atomic composition of the atmosphere must have included much larger quantities of hydrogen and a carbon/oxygen ratio
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