1
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Nguyen T, Ober DC, Balaji A, Maiwald FW, Hodyss RP, Madzunkov SM, Okumura M, Nemchick DJ. Infrared Photodissociation Spectroscopy of Water-Tagged Ions with a Widely Tunable Quantum Cascade Laser for Planetary Science Applications. Anal Chem 2024; 96:8875-8879. [PMID: 38776223 PMCID: PMC11155675 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.4c01023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2024] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/24/2024]
Abstract
This work presents a benchtop method for collecting the room temperature gas phase infrared (IR) action spectra of protonated amino acids and their isomers. The adopted setup uses a minimally modified commercial electrospray ionization linear ion trap mass spectrometer (ESI-LIT-MS) coupled to a broadband continuous wave (cw) quantum cascade laser (QCL) source. This approach leverages messenger assisted action spectroscopic techniques using water-tagged molecular ions with complex formation, irradiation, and subsequent analysis, all taking place within a single linear ion trap stage. This configuration thus circumvents the use of multiple mass selection and analysis stages, cryogenic buffer cells, and complex high-power laser systems typically called upon to execute these techniques. The benchtop action spectrometer is used to collect the 935-1600 cm-1 (6.2-10.7 μm) IR action spectrum of a collection of amino acids and a dipeptide with results cross referenced against literature examples obtained with a free electron laser source. Recorded IR spectra are used for the analysis of binary mixture samples composed of constitutional isomers α-alanine and β-alanine with ratios determined to ∼4% measurement uncertainty without the aid of a front-end separation stage. This turn-key QCL-based approach is a major step in showing the viability of tag-based action spectroscopic techniques for use in future in situ planetary science sensors and general analytical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler
M. Nguyen
- Division
of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California
Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States
| | - Douglas C. Ober
- Division
of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California
Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States
| | - Aadarsh Balaji
- Division
of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California
Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States
| | - Frank W. Maiwald
- NASA
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of
Technology, Pasadena, California 91109, United States
| | - Robert P. Hodyss
- NASA
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of
Technology, Pasadena, California 91109, United States
| | - Stojan M. Madzunkov
- NASA
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of
Technology, Pasadena, California 91109, United States
| | - Mitchio Okumura
- Division
of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California
Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States
| | - Deacon J. Nemchick
- NASA
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of
Technology, Pasadena, California 91109, United States
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2
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Garcia AD, Leyva V, Bocková J, Pepino RL, Meinert C. Resolution and quantification of carbohydrates by enantioselective comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography. Talanta 2024; 271:125728. [PMID: 38316075 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2024.125728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
Carbohydrates, in particular the d-enantiomers of ribose, 2-deoxyribose, and glucose, are essential to life's informational biopolymers (RNA/DNA) and for supplying energy to living cells through glycolysis. Considered to be potential biosignatures in the search of past or present life, our capacity to detect and quantify these essential sugars is crucial for future space missions to the Moon, Mars or Titan as well as for sample-return missions. However, the enantioselective analysis of carbohydrates is challenging and both research and routine applications, are lacking efficient methods that combine highly sensitive and reproducible detection with baseline enantioselective resolution and reliable enantiomeric excess (ee) measurements. Here, we present four different derivatization strategies in combination with multidimensional gas chromatography coupled to a reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometer (GC×GC-TOF-MS) for the enantioselective resolution of C3 to C6 carbohydrates potentially suitable for sample-return analyses. Full mass spectral interpretation and calibration curves for one single-step (cyclic boronate derivatives) and three two-step derivatization protocols (aldononitrile-acetate, hemiacetalization-trifluoroacetylation, and hemiacetalization-permethylation) are presented for concentrations ranging from 1 to 50 pmol μL⁻1 with correlation coefficients R2 > 0.94. We compared several analytical parameters including reproducibility, sensitivity (LOD and LOQ), overall separation, chiral resolution (RS), mass spectrum selectivity, stability during long term storage, and reliability of ee measurements to guide the application-dependent selection of optimal separation and quantification performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrien D Garcia
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Institut de Chimie de Nice UMR 7272, Nice, France
| | - Vanessa Leyva
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Institut de Chimie de Nice UMR 7272, Nice, France
| | - Jana Bocková
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Institut de Chimie de Nice UMR 7272, Nice, France
| | - Raphaël L Pepino
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Institut de Chimie de Nice UMR 7272, Nice, France
| | - Cornelia Meinert
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Institut de Chimie de Nice UMR 7272, Nice, France.
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3
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Doran PT, Hayes A, Grasset O, Coustenis A, Prieto-Ballesteros O, Hedman N, Al Shehhi O, Ammannito E, Fujimoto M, Groen F, Moores JE, Mustin C, Olsson-Francis K, Peng J, Praveenkumar K, Rettberg P, Sinibaldi S, Ilyin V, Raulin F, Suzuki Y, Xu K, Whyte LG, Zaitsev M, Buffo J, Kminek G, Schmidt B. The COSPAR planetary protection policy for missions to Icy Worlds: A review of history, current scientific knowledge, and future directions. LIFE SCIENCES IN SPACE RESEARCH 2024; 41:86-99. [PMID: 38670657 DOI: 10.1016/j.lssr.2024.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2023] [Revised: 02/03/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Recent discoveries related to the habitability and astrobiological relevance of the outer Solar System have expanded our understanding of where and how life may have originated. As a result, the Icy Worlds of the outer Solar System have become among the highest priority targets for future spacecraft missions dedicated to astrobiology-focused and/or direct life detection objectives. This, in turn, has led to a renewed interest in planetary protection concerns and policies for the exploration of these worlds and has been a topic of discussion within the COSPAR (Committee on Space Research) Panel on Planetary Protection. This paper summarizes the results of those discussions, reviewing the current knowledge and the history of planetary protection considerations for Icy Worlds as well as suggesting ways forward. Based on those discussions, we therefore suggest to (1) Establish a new definition for Icy Worlds for Planetary Protection that captures the outer Solar System moons and dwarf planets like Pluto, but excludes more primitive bodies such as comets, centaurs, and asteroids: Icy Worlds in our Solar System are defined as all bodies with an outermost layer that is believed to be greater than 50 % water ice by volume and have enough mass to assume a nearly round shape. (2) Establish indices for the lower limits of Earth life with regards to water activity (LLAw) and temperature (LLT) and apply them into all areas of the COSPAR Planetary Protection Policy. These values are currently set at 0.5 and -28 °C and were originally established for defining Mars Special Regions; (3) Establish LLT as a parameter to assign categorization for Icy Worlds missions. The suggested categorization will have a 1000-year period of biological exploration, to be applied to all Icy Worlds and not just Europa and Enceladus as is currently the case. (4) Have all missions consider the possibility of impact. Transient thermal anomalies caused by impact would be acceptable so long as there is less than 10-4 probability of a single microbe reaching deeper environments where temperature is >LLT in the period of biological exploration. (5) Restructure or remove Category II* from the policy as it becomes largely redundant with this new approach, (6) Establish that any sample return from an Icy World should be Category V restricted Earth return.
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Affiliation(s)
- P T Doran
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Louisiana State, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
| | - A Hayes
- Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853-6801, USA
| | | | - A Coustenis
- LESIA, Paris Observatory, PSL University, CNRS, Paris University, 92195, Meudon Cedex, France
| | - O Prieto-Ballesteros
- Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA, 28850, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain
| | - N Hedman
- Committee, Policy and Legal Affairs Section, Office for Outer Space Affairs, United Nations Office at Vienna, Austria
| | | | | | - M Fujimoto
- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Kanagawa, Japan
| | - F Groen
- Office of Safety and Mission Assurance, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC, 20546, USA
| | | | - C Mustin
- Centre National des Etudes Spatiales (CNES), France
| | - K Olsson-Francis
- AstrobiologyOU, Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
| | - J Peng
- China National Space Administration, Beijing, China
| | | | - P Rettberg
- German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Radiation Biology Department, Research Group Astrobiology, 51147, Cologne, Germany
| | - S Sinibaldi
- European Space Agency, ESA-ESTEC, Noordwijk, the Netherlands
| | - V Ilyin
- Institute for Biomedical Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - F Raulin
- Univ Paris Est Créteil and Université Paris Cité, CNRS, LISA, F-94010, Créteil, France
| | - Y Suzuki
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, The University of Tokyo,7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - K Xu
- Laboratory of Space Microbiology, Shenzhou Space Biotechnology Group, Chinese Academy of Space Technology, Beijing, China
| | - L G Whyte
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - M Zaitsev
- Planetary Physics Department, Space Research Inst. of Russian Acad. of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - J Buffo
- Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - G Kminek
- European Space Agency, ESA-ESTEC, Noordwijk, the Netherlands
| | - B Schmidt
- Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853-6801, USA
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Neish C, Malaska MJ, Sotin C, Lopes RMC, Nixon CA, Affholder A, Chatain A, Cockell C, Farnsworth KK, Higgins PM, Miller KE, Soderlund KM. Organic Input to Titan's Subsurface Ocean Through Impact Cratering. ASTROBIOLOGY 2024; 24:177-189. [PMID: 38306187 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2023.0055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
Titan has an organic-rich atmosphere and surface with a subsurface liquid water ocean that may represent a habitable environment. In this work, we determined the amount of organic material that can be delivered from Titan's surface to its ocean through impact cratering. We assumed that Titan's craters produce impact melt deposits composed of liquid water that can founder in its lower-density ice crust and estimated the amount of organic molecules that could be incorporated into these melt lenses. We used known yields for HCN and Titan haze hydrolysis to determine the amount of glycine produced in the melt lenses and found a range of possible flux rates of glycine from the surface to the subsurface ocean. These ranged from 0 to 1011 mol/Gyr for HCN hydrolysis and from 0 to 1014 mol/Gyr for haze hydrolysis. These fluxes suggest an upper limit for biomass productivity of ∼103 kgC/year from a glycine fermentation metabolism. This upper limit is significantly less than recent estimates of the hypothetical biomass production supported by Enceladus's subsurface ocean. Unless biologically available compounds can be sourced from Titan's interior, or be delivered from the surface by other mechanisms, our calculations suggest that even the most organic-rich ocean world in the Solar System may not be able to support a large biosphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Neish
- Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michael J Malaska
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Christophe Sotin
- Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géosciences, Nantes Université, Univ Angers, Le Mans Université, CNRS, UMR 6112, Nantes, France
| | - Rosaly M C Lopes
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Conor A Nixon
- Planetary Systems Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - Antonin Affholder
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Audrey Chatain
- Departamento de Física Aplicada, Escuela de Ingeniería de Bilbao, Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (UPV/EHU), Bilbao, Spain
| | - Charles Cockell
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Kendra K Farnsworth
- NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - Peter M Higgins
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Krista M Soderlund
- Institute for Geophysics, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
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5
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Thakur AC, Remsing RC. Distributed charge models of liquid methane and ethane for dielectric effects and solvation. Mol Phys 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/00268976.2021.1933228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Atul C. Thakur
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Richard C. Remsing
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
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6
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Domínguez-Pumar M, Kowalski L, Jiménez V, Rodríguez I, Soria M, Bermejo S, Pons-Nin J. Analyzing the Performance of a Miniature 3D Wind Sensor for Mars. SENSORS 2020; 20:s20205912. [PMID: 33092016 PMCID: PMC7589199 DOI: 10.3390/s20205912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
This paper analyzes the behavior of a miniature 3D wind sensor designed for Mars atmosphere. The sensor is a spherical structure of 10 mm diameter divided in four sectors. By setting all the sectors to constant temperature, above that of the air, the 3D wind velocity vector can be measured. Two sets of experiments have been performed. First, an experimental campaign made under typical Mars conditions at the Aarhus Wind Tunnel Simulator is presented. The results demonstrate that both wind speed and angle can be efficiently measured, using a simple inverse algorithm. The effect of sudden wind changes is also analyzed and fast response times in the range of 0.7 s are obtained. The second set of experiments is focused on analyzing the performance of the sensor under extreme Martian wind conditions, reaching and going beyond the Dust Devil scale. To this purpose, both high-fidelity numerical simulations of fluid dynamics and heat transfer and experiments with the sensor have been performed. The results of the experiments, made for winds in the Reynolds number 1000–2000 range, which represent 65–130 m/s of wind speed under typical Mars conditions, further confirm the simulation predictions and show that it will be possible to successfully measure wind speed and direction even under these extreme regimes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Domínguez-Pumar
- Micro and Nano Technologies Group, Electronic Engineering Department, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, 08034 Barcelona, Spain; (L.K.); (V.J.); (S.B.); (J.P.-N.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-93-401-5679
| | - Lukasz Kowalski
- Micro and Nano Technologies Group, Electronic Engineering Department, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, 08034 Barcelona, Spain; (L.K.); (V.J.); (S.B.); (J.P.-N.)
| | - Vicente Jiménez
- Micro and Nano Technologies Group, Electronic Engineering Department, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, 08034 Barcelona, Spain; (L.K.); (V.J.); (S.B.); (J.P.-N.)
| | - Ivette Rodríguez
- Turbulence and Aerodynamics in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Research Group, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, 08222 Terrassa, Spain; (I.R.); (M.S.)
| | - Manel Soria
- Turbulence and Aerodynamics in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Research Group, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, 08222 Terrassa, Spain; (I.R.); (M.S.)
| | - Sandra Bermejo
- Micro and Nano Technologies Group, Electronic Engineering Department, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, 08034 Barcelona, Spain; (L.K.); (V.J.); (S.B.); (J.P.-N.)
| | - Joan Pons-Nin
- Micro and Nano Technologies Group, Electronic Engineering Department, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, 08034 Barcelona, Spain; (L.K.); (V.J.); (S.B.); (J.P.-N.)
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7
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Osinski G, Cockell C, Pontefract A, Sapers H. The Role of Meteorite Impacts in the Origin of Life. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:1121-1149. [PMID: 32876492 PMCID: PMC7499892 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The conditions, timing, and setting for the origin of life on Earth and whether life exists elsewhere in our solar system and beyond represent some of the most fundamental scientific questions of our time. Although the bombardment of planets and satellites by asteroids and comets has long been viewed as a destructive process that would have presented a barrier to the emergence of life and frustrated or extinguished life, we provide a comprehensive synthesis of data and observations on the beneficial role of impacts in a wide range of prebiotic and biological processes. In the context of previously proposed environments for the origin of life on Earth, we discuss how meteorite impacts can generate both subaerial and submarine hydrothermal vents, abundant hydrothermal-sedimentary settings, and impact analogues for volcanic pumice rafts and splash pools. Impact events can also deliver and/or generate many of the necessary chemical ingredients for life and catalytic substrates such as clays as well. The role that impact cratering plays in fracturing planetary crusts and its effects on deep subsurface habitats for life are also discussed. In summary, we propose that meteorite impact events are a fundamental geobiological process in planetary evolution that played an important role in the origin of life on Earth. We conclude with the recommendation that impact craters should be considered prime sites in the search for evidence of past life on Mars. Furthermore, unlike other geological processes such as volcanism or plate tectonics, impact cratering is ubiquitous on planetary bodies throughout the Universe and is independent of size, composition, and distance from the host star. Impact events thus provide a mechanism with the potential to generate habitable planets, moons, and asteroids throughout the Solar System and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- G.R. Osinski
- Institute for Earth and Space Exploration, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
- Address correspondence to: Dr. Gordon Osinski, Department of Earth Sciences, 1151 Richmond Street, University of Western Ontario, London ON, N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - C.S. Cockell
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - A. Pontefract
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - H.M. Sapers
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
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8
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Waller SE, Belousov A, Kidd RD, Nikolić D, Madzunkov SM, Wiley JS, Darrach MR. Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry: Applications for the In Situ Measurement of Nonvolatile Organics at Ocean Worlds. ASTROBIOLOGY 2019; 19:1196-1210. [PMID: 31347911 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2018.1961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
A new technique that has applications for the detection of nonvolatile organics on Ocean Worlds has been developed. Here, liquid mixtures of fatty acids (FAs) and/or amino acids (AAs) are introduced directly into a miniature quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer (QITMS) developed at Jet Propulsion Laboratory and analyzed. Two ionization methods, electron impact and chemical ionization (EI and CI, respectively), are compared and contrasted. Further, multiple CI reagents are tested to explore their potential to "soften" ionization of FAs and AAs. Both EI and CI yield mass spectra that bear signatures of FAs or AAs; however, soft CI yields significantly cleaner mass spectra that are easier to interpret. The combination of soft CI with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) has also been demonstrated for AAs, generating "fingerprint" mass spectra of fragments from protonated parent ions. To mimic potential Ocean World conditions, water is used as the primary collision gas in MS/MS experiments. This technique has the potential for the in situ analysis of molecules in the cryogenic plumes of Ocean Worlds (e.g., Enceladus) and comets with the ultimate goal of detecting potential biosignatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Waller
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | - Anton Belousov
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | - Richard D Kidd
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | - Dragan Nikolić
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | - Stojan M Madzunkov
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | - Joshua S Wiley
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | - Murray R Darrach
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
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9
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Lavado N, García de la Concepción J, Gallego M, Babiano R, Cintas P. From prebiotic chemistry to supramolecular oligomers: urea-glyoxal reactions. Org Biomol Chem 2019; 17:5826-5838. [PMID: 31147669 DOI: 10.1039/c9ob01120j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
A fundamental question in origin-of-life studies and astrochemistry concerns the actual processes that initiate the formation of reactive monomers and their oligomerization. Answers lie partly in the accurate description of reaction mechanisms compatible with environments plausible on early Earth as well as cosmological scenarios in planetary factories. Here we show in detail that reactions of urea-as archetypal prebiotic substance-and reactive carbonyls-exemplified by glyoxal-lead to a vast repertoire of oligomers, in which different five- and six-membered non-aromatic heterocycles self-assemble and insert into chains or dendritic-like structures with masses up to 1000 Da. Such regular patterns have been interpreted by experimental and computational methods. A salient conclusion is that such processes most likely occur through SN-type mechanisms on hydrated or protonated species. Remarkably, such supramolecular oligomeric mixtures can be easily isolated from organic solvents, thus opening the door to the generation of novel urea-containing polymers with potential applications in materials chemistry and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nieves Lavado
- Departamento de Química Orgánica e Inorgánica, Facultad de Ciencias-UEX, IACYS-Unidad de Química Verde y Desarrollo Sostenible, E-06006 Badajoz, Spain.
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