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Cosmic rays may be linked to the formation of volatiles necessary forprebiotic chemistry. We explore the effect of cosmic rays in ahydrogen-dominated atmosphere, as a proof-of-concept that ion-neutral chemistrymay be important for modelling hydrogen-dominated atmospheres. In order toaccomplish this, we utilize Monte Carlo cosmic ray transport models withparticle energies of $10^6$ eV $< E < 10^{12}$ eV in order to investigate thecosmic ray enhancement of free electrons in substellar atmospheres. Ion-neutralchemistry is then applied to a Drift-Phoenix model of a free-floating giant gasplanet. Our results suggest that the activation of ion-neutral chemistry in theupper atmosphere significantly enhances formation rates for various species,and we find that C$_2$H$_2$, C$_2$H$_4$, NH$_3$, C$_6$H$_6$ and possiblyC$_{10}$H are enhanced in the upper atmospheres because of cosmic rays. Ourresults suggest a potential connection between cosmic ray chemistry and thehazes observed in the upper atmospheres of various extrasolar planets.Chemi-ionization reactions are briefly discussed, as they may enhance thedegree of ionization in the cloud layer.

The Influence of Galactic Cosmic Rays on Ion-Neutral Hydrocarbon Chemistry in the Upper Atmospheres of Free-Floating Exoplanets