1
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Martinez-Bachs B, Anguera-Gonzalez A, Pareras G, Rimola A. Formation of Methanol via Fischer-Tropsch Catalysis by Cosmic Iron Sulphide. Chemphyschem 2024; 25:e202400272. [PMID: 38805153 DOI: 10.1002/cphc.202400272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2024] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Chemical reactions in the gas phase of the interstellar medium face significant challenges due to its extreme conditions (i. e., low gas densities and temperatures), necessitating the presence of dust grains to facilitate the synthesis of molecules inaccessible in the gas phase. While interstellar grains are known to enhance encounter rates and dissipate energy from exothermic reactions, their potential as chemical catalysts remain less explored. Here, we present mechanistic insights into the Fischer-Tropsch-type methanol (FTT-CH3OH) synthesis by reactivity of CO with H2 and using cosmic FeS surfaces as heterogeneous catalysts. Periodic quantum chemical calculations were employed to characterize the potential energy surface of the reactions on the (011) and (001) FeS surfaces, considering different Fe coordination environments and S vacancies. Kinetic calculations were also conducted to assess catalytic capacity and allocate reaction processes within the astrochemical framework. Our findings demonstrate the feasibility of FeS-based astrocatalysis in the FTT-CH3OH synthesis. The reactions and their energetics were elucidated from a mechanistic standpoint. Kinetic analysis demonstrates the temperature dependency of the simulated processes, underscoring the compulsory need of energy sources considering the astrophysical scenario. Our results provide insights into the presence of CH3OH in diverse regions where current models struggle to explain its observational quantity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Berta Martinez-Bachs
- Departament de Química, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Alexia Anguera-Gonzalez
- Departament de Química, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Gerard Pareras
- Departament de Química, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Albert Rimola
- Departament de Química, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain
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2
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Huet L, Devergne T, Magrino T, Saitta AM. A New Route to the Prebiotic Synthesis of Glycine via Ab Initio-Based Machine Learning Calculations. J Phys Chem Lett 2024; 15:8697-8705. [PMID: 39159425 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.4c01954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/21/2024]
Abstract
In this work, we study the synthesis of glycine, the simplest amino acid, using ab initio molecular dynamics and enhanced sampling techniques to explore and quantify novel potential pathways. Our protocol integrates state-of-the-art machine learning approaches, allowing us to sample relevant chemical spaces more efficiently. We discover a novel "oxyglycolate path", distinct from the "standard" Strecker mechanism, identify new intermediates, and provide a full thermodynamic characterization of all reaction steps. This alternative pathway aligns better with meteoritic and experimental observations, paving the way for further investigations. Integrating quantum accuracy and machine learning in prebiotic chemistry represents a methodological milestone advancing the exploration of life's prebiotic origins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Léon Huet
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie, Sorbonne Université Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle CNRS, UMR7590, Paris 75005, France
| | - Timothée Devergne
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie, Sorbonne Université Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle CNRS, UMR7590, Paris 75005, France
- Atomistic Simulations, Italian Institute of Technology, 16142 Genoa, Italy
- Computational Statistics and Machine Learning, Italian Institute of Technology, 16142 Genoa, Italy
| | - Théo Magrino
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie, Sorbonne Université Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle CNRS, UMR7590, Paris 75005, France
| | - A Marco Saitta
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie, Sorbonne Université Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle CNRS, UMR7590, Paris 75005, France
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3
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Merino P, Martínez L, Santoro G, Martínez JI, Lauwaet K, Accolla M, Ruiz Del Arbol N, Sánchez-Sánchez C, Martín-Jimenez A, Otero R, Piantek M, Serrate D, Lebrón-Aguilar R, Quintanilla-López JE, Mendez J, De Andres PL, Martín-Gago JA. n-Alkanes formed by methyl-methylene addition as a source of meteoritic aliphatics. Commun Chem 2024; 7:165. [PMID: 39080475 PMCID: PMC11289383 DOI: 10.1038/s42004-024-01248-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Aliphatics prevail in asteroids, comets, meteorites and other bodies in our solar system. They are also found in the interstellar and circumstellar media both in gas-phase and in dust grains. Among aliphatics, linear alkanes (n-CnH2n+2) are known to survive in carbonaceous chondrites in hundreds to thousands of parts per billion, encompassing sequences from CH4 to n-C31H64. Despite being systematically detected, the mechanism responsible for their formation in meteorites has yet to be identified. Based on advanced laboratory astrochemistry simulations, we propose a gas-phase synthesis mechanism for n-alkanes starting from carbon and hydrogen under conditions of temperature and pressure that mimic those found in carbon-rich circumstellar envelopes. We characterize the analogs generated in a customized sputter gas aggregation source using a combination of atomically precise scanning tunneling microscopy, non-contact atomic force microscopy and ex-situ gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Within the formed carbon nanostructures, we identify the presence of n-alkanes with sizes ranging from n-C8H18 to n-C32H66. Ab-initio calculations of formation free energies, kinetic barriers, and kinetic chemical network modelling lead us to propose a gas-phase growth mechanism for the formation of large n-alkanes based on methyl-methylene addition (MMA). In this process, methylene serves as both a reagent and a catalyst for carbon chain growth. Our study provides evidence of an aliphatic gas-phase synthesis mechanism around evolved stars and provides a potential explanation for its presence in interstellar dust and meteorites.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Merino
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (ICMM), CSIC, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz 3, 28049, Madrid, Spain.
| | - L Martínez
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (ICMM), CSIC, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz 3, 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - G Santoro
- Instituto de Estructura de la Materia (IEM), CSIC, Serrano 121, 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - J I Martínez
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (ICMM), CSIC, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz 3, 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - K Lauwaet
- Instituto Madrileño de Estudios Avanzados IMDEA Nanociencia, Madrid, Spain
| | - M Accolla
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (ICMM), CSIC, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz 3, 28049, Madrid, Spain
- INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania, Via Santa Sofia 78, 95123, Catania, Italy
| | - N Ruiz Del Arbol
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (ICMM), CSIC, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz 3, 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - C Sánchez-Sánchez
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (ICMM), CSIC, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz 3, 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - A Martín-Jimenez
- Instituto Madrileño de Estudios Avanzados IMDEA Nanociencia, Madrid, Spain
| | - R Otero
- Instituto Madrileño de Estudios Avanzados IMDEA Nanociencia, Madrid, Spain
- Dep. De Física de la Materia Condensada, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049, Madrid, Spain
- IFIMAC, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - M Piantek
- Laboratorio de Microscopias Avanzadas, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50018, Zaragoza, Spain
- Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50018, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - D Serrate
- Laboratorio de Microscopias Avanzadas, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50018, Zaragoza, Spain
- Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50018, Zaragoza, Spain
- Instituto de Nanociencia y Materiales de Aragón (INMA), CSIC-UNIZAR, 50009, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - R Lebrón-Aguilar
- Instituto de Química-Física "Blas Cabrera" (IQF), CSIC, Serrano, 119, 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - J E Quintanilla-López
- Instituto de Química-Física "Blas Cabrera" (IQF), CSIC, Serrano, 119, 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - J Mendez
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (ICMM), CSIC, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz 3, 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - P L De Andres
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (ICMM), CSIC, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz 3, 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - J A Martín-Gago
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (ICMM), CSIC, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz 3, 28049, Madrid, Spain
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4
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Chan DH, Wills JL, Tandy JD, Burchell MJ, Wozniakiewicz PJ, Alesbrook LS, Armes SP. Synthesis of Autofluorescent Phenanthrene Microparticles via Emulsification: A Useful Synthetic Mimic for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon-Based Cosmic Dust. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2023; 15:54039-54049. [PMID: 37944021 PMCID: PMC10685351 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c08585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Phenanthrene is the simplest example of a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). Herein, we exploit its relatively low melting point (101 °C) to prepare microparticles from molten phenanthrene droplets by conducting high-shear homogenization in a 3:1 water/ethylene glycol mixture at 105 °C using poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) as a non-ionic polymeric emulsifier. Scanning electron microscopy studies confirm that this protocol produces polydisperse phenanthrene microparticles with a spherical morphology: laser diffraction studies indicate a volume-average diameter of 25 ± 21 μm. Such projectiles are fired into an aluminum foil target at 1.87 km s-1 using a two-stage light gas gun. Interestingly, the autofluorescence exhibited by phenanthrene aids analysis of the resulting impact craters. More specifically, it enables assessment of the spatial distribution of any surviving phenanthrene in the vicinity of each crater. Furthermore, these phenanthrene microparticles can be coated with an ultrathin overlayer of polypyrrole, which reduces their autofluorescence. In principle, such core-shell microparticles should be useful for assessing the extent of thermal ablation that is likely to occur when they are fired into aerogel targets. Accordingly, polypyrrole-coated microparticles were fired into an aerogel target at 2.07 km s-1. Intact microparticles were identified at the end of carrot tracks and their relatively weak autofluorescence suggests that thermal ablation during aerogel capture did not completely remove the polypyrrole overlayer. Thus, these new core-shell microparticles appear to be useful model projectiles for assessing the extent of thermal processing that can occur in such experiments, which have implications for the capture of intact PAH-based dust grains originating from cometary tails or from plumes emanating from icy satellites (e.g., Enceladus) in future space missions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek
H. H. Chan
- Dainton
Building, Department of Chemistry, University
of Sheffield, Brook Hill, Sheffield, South
Yorkshire S3 7HF, U.K.
| | - Jessica L. Wills
- School
of Physics and Astronomy, University of
Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NH, U.K.
| | - Jon D. Tandy
- School
of Chemistry and Forensic Science, University
of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NZ, U.K.
| | - Mark J. Burchell
- School
of Physics and Astronomy, University of
Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NH, U.K.
| | | | - Luke S. Alesbrook
- School
of Physics and Astronomy, University of
Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NH, U.K.
| | - Steven P. Armes
- Dainton
Building, Department of Chemistry, University
of Sheffield, Brook Hill, Sheffield, South
Yorkshire S3 7HF, U.K.
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5
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Nguyen AN, Mane P, Keller LP, Piani L, Abe Y, Aléon J, Alexander CMO, Amari S, Amelin Y, Bajo KI, Bizzarro M, Bouvier A, Carlson RW, Chaussidon M, Choi BG, Dauphas N, Davis AM, Di Rocco T, Fujiya W, Fukai R, Gautam I, Haba MK, Hibiya Y, Hidaka H, Homma H, Hoppe P, Huss GR, Ichida K, Iizuka T, Ireland TR, Ishikawa A, Itoh S, Kawasaki N, Kita NT, Kitajima K, Kleine T, Komatani S, Krot AN, Liu MC, Masuda Y, McKeegan KD, Morita M, Motomura K, Moynier F, Nakai I, Nagashima K, Nesvorný D, Nittler L, Onose M, Pack A, Park C, Qin L, Russell SS, Sakamoto N, Schönbächler M, Tafla L, Tang H, Terada K, Terada Y, Usui T, Wada S, Wadhwa M, Walker RJ, Yamashita K, Yin QZ, Yokoyama T, Yoneda S, Young ED, Yui H, Zhang AC, Nakamura T, Naraoka H, Noguchi T, Okazaki R, Sakamoto K, Yabuta H, Abe M, Miyazaki A, Nakato A, Nishimura M, Okada T, Yada T, Yogata K, Nakazawa S, Saiki T, Tanaka S, Terui F, Tsuda Y, Watanabe SI, Yoshikawa M, Tachibana S, Yurimoto H. Abundant presolar grains and primordial organics preserved in carbon-rich exogenous clasts in asteroid Ryugu. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadh1003. [PMID: 37450600 PMCID: PMC10348677 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh1003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Preliminary analyses of asteroid Ryugu samples show kinship to aqueously altered CI (Ivuna-type) chondrites, suggesting similar origins. We report identification of C-rich, particularly primitive clasts in Ryugu samples that contain preserved presolar silicate grains and exceptional abundances of presolar SiC and isotopically anomalous organic matter. The high presolar silicate abundance (104 ppm) indicates that the clast escaped extensive alteration. The 5 to 10 times higher abundances of presolar SiC (~235 ppm), N-rich organic matter, organics with N isotopic anomalies (1.2%), and organics with C isotopic anomalies (0.2%) in the primitive clasts compared to bulk Ryugu suggest that the clasts formed in a unique part of the protoplanetary disk enriched in presolar materials. These clasts likely represent previously unsampled outer solar system material that accreted onto Ryugu after aqueous alteration ceased, consistent with Ryugu's rubble pile origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann. N. Nguyen
- Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA
| | - Prajkta Mane
- Universities Space Research Association, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX 77058, USA
| | - Lindsay P. Keller
- Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA
| | - Laurette Piani
- Centre de Recherches Pétrographiques et Géochimiques, CNRS - Université de Lorraine, Nancy 54500, France
| | - Yoshinari Abe
- Graduate School of Engineering Materials Science and Engineering, Tokyo Denki University, Tokyo 120-8551, Japan
| | - Jérôme Aléon
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie, Sorbonne Université, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS UMR 7590, IRD, Paris 75005, France
| | | | - Sachiko Amari
- McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences and Physics Department, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
- Geochemical Research Center, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Yuri Amelin
- Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, GD 510640, China
| | - Ken-ichi Bajo
- Department of Natural History Sciences, IIL, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 001-0021, Japan
| | - Martin Bizzarro
- Centre for Star and Planet Formation, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen K 1350, Denmark
| | - Audrey Bouvier
- Bayerisches Geoinstitut, Universität Bayreuth, Bayreuth 95447, Germany
| | - Richard W. Carlson
- Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, DC 20015, USA
| | - Marc Chaussidon
- Université Paris Cités, Institut de physique du globe de Paris, CNRS, Paris 75005, France
| | - Byeon-Gak Choi
- Department of Earth Science Education, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Nicolas Dauphas
- Department of the Geophysical Sciences and Enrico Fermi Institute, The University of Chicago, 5734 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Andrew M. Davis
- Department of the Geophysical Sciences and Enrico Fermi Institute, The University of Chicago, 5734 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Tommaso Di Rocco
- Faculty of Geosciences and Geography, University of Göttingen, Göttingen D-37077, Germany
| | - Wataru Fujiya
- Faculty of Science, Ibaraki University, Mito 310-8512, Japan
| | - Ryota Fukai
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara 252-5210, Japan
| | - Ikshu Gautam
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan
| | - Makiko K. Haba
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan
| | - Yuki Hibiya
- General Systems Studies, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-0041, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Hidaka
- Earth and Planetary Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
| | - Hisashi Homma
- Osaka Application Laboratory, SBUWDX, Rigaku Corporation, Osaka 569-1146, Japan
| | - Peter Hoppe
- Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz 55128, Germany
| | - Gary R. Huss
- Hawai‘i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
| | - Kiyohiro Ichida
- Analytical Technology, Horiba Techno Service Co. Ltd., Kyoto 601-8125, Japan
| | - Tsuyoshi Iizuka
- Earth and Planetary Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Trevor R. Ireland
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Akira Ishikawa
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan
| | - Shoichi Itoh
- Earth and Planetary Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
| | - Noriyuki Kawasaki
- Department of Natural History Sciences, IIL, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 001-0021, Japan
| | - Noriko T. Kita
- Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Kouki Kitajima
- Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Thorsten Kleine
- Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Göttingen 37077, Germany
| | - Shintaro Komatani
- Analytical Technology, Horiba Techno Service Co. Ltd., Kyoto 601-8125, Japan
| | - Alexander N. Krot
- Hawai‘i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
| | - Ming-Chang Liu
- Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Yuki Masuda
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan
| | - Kevin D. McKeegan
- Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Mayu Morita
- Analytical Technology, Horiba Techno Service Co. Ltd., Kyoto 601-8125, Japan
| | | | - Frédéric Moynier
- Université Paris Cités, Institut de physique du globe de Paris, CNRS, Paris 75005, France
| | - Izumi Nakai
- Applied Chemistry, Tokyo University of Science, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan
| | - Kazuhide Nagashima
- Hawai‘i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
| | - David Nesvorný
- Department of Space Studies, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - Larry Nittler
- Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, DC 20015, USA
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Morihiko Onose
- Analytical Technology, Horiba Techno Service Co. Ltd., Kyoto 601-8125, Japan
| | - Andreas Pack
- Faculty of Geosciences and Geography, University of Göttingen, Göttingen D-37077, Germany
| | - Changkun Park
- Earth System Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon 21990, Korea
| | - Liping Qin
- CAS Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environments, University of Science and Technology of China, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Sara S. Russell
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Naoya Sakamoto
- Isotope Imaging Laboratory, Creative Research Institution, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 001-0021, Japan
| | - Maria Schönbächler
- Institute for Geochemistry and Petrology, Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lauren Tafla
- Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Haolan Tang
- Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Kentaro Terada
- Earth and Space Science, Osaka University, Osaka 560-0043, Japan
| | - Yasuko Terada
- Spectroscopy and Imaging, Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, Hyogo 679-5198, Japan
| | - Tomohiro Usui
- Faculty of Science, Ibaraki University, Mito 310-8512, Japan
| | - Sohei Wada
- Department of Natural History Sciences, IIL, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 001-0021, Japan
| | - Meenakshi Wadhwa
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Richard J. Walker
- Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Katsuyuki Yamashita
- Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
| | - Qing-Zhu Yin
- Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Tetsuya Yokoyama
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan
| | - Shigekazu Yoneda
- Science and Engineering, National Museum of Nature and Science, Tsukuba 305-0005, Japan
| | - Edward D. Young
- Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Hiroharu Yui
- Department of Chemistry, Tokyo University of Science, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan
| | - Ai-Cheng Zhang
- School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Tomoki Nakamura
- Department of Earth Science, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8578, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Naraoka
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Takaaki Noguchi
- Earth and Planetary Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
| | - Ryuji Okazaki
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Kanako Sakamoto
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara 252-5210, Japan
| | - Hikaru Yabuta
- Earth and Planetary Systems Science Program, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
| | - Masanao Abe
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara 252-5210, Japan
| | - Akiko Miyazaki
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara 252-5210, Japan
| | - Aiko Nakato
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara 252-5210, Japan
| | - Masahiro Nishimura
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara 252-5210, Japan
| | - Tatsuaki Okada
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara 252-5210, Japan
| | - Toru Yada
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara 252-5210, Japan
| | - Kasumi Yogata
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara 252-5210, Japan
| | - Satoru Nakazawa
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara 252-5210, Japan
| | - Takanao Saiki
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara 252-5210, Japan
| | - Satoshi Tanaka
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara 252-5210, Japan
| | - Fuyuto Terui
- Kanagawa Institute of Technology, Atsugi 243-0292, Japan
| | - Yuichi Tsuda
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara 252-5210, Japan
| | | | - Makoto Yoshikawa
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara 252-5210, Japan
| | - Shogo Tachibana
- UTokyo Organization for Planetary and Space Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Hisayoshi Yurimoto
- Department of Natural History Sciences, IIL, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 001-0021, Japan
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
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6
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Furukawa Y, Saigusa D, Kano K, Uruno A, Saito R, Ito M, Matsumoto M, Aoki J, Yamamoto M, Nakamura T. Distributions of CHN compounds in meteorites record organic syntheses in the early solar system. Sci Rep 2023; 13:6683. [PMID: 37095091 PMCID: PMC10125961 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-33595-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/15/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Carbonaceous meteorites contain diverse soluble organic compounds. These compounds formed in the early solar system from volatiles accreted on tiny dust particles. However, the difference in the organic synthesis on respective dust particles in the early solar system remains unclear. We found micrometer-scale heterogeneous distributions of diverse CHN1-2 and CHN1-2O compounds in two primitive meteorites: the Murchison and NWA 801, using a surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization system connected to a high mass resolution mass spectrometer. These compounds contained mutual relationships of ± H2, ± CH2, ± H2O, and ± CH2O and showed highly similar distributions, indicating that they are the products of series reactions. The heterogeneity was caused by the micro-scale difference in the abundance of these compounds and the extent of the series reactions, indicating that these compounds formed on respective dust particles before asteroid accretion. The results of the present study provide evidence of heterogeneous volatile compositions and the extent of organic reactions among the dust particles that formed carbonaceous asteroids. The compositions of diverse small organic compounds associated with respective dust particles in meteorites are useful to understand different histories of volatile evolution in the early solar system.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Daisuke Saigusa
- Laboratory of Biomedical and Analytical Sciences, Faculty of Pharma-Science, Teikyo University, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Integrative Genomics, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Kuniyuki Kano
- Department of Health Chemistry, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Akira Uruno
- Department of Integrative Genomics, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Ritsumi Saito
- Department of Integrative Genomics, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Motoo Ito
- Kochi Institute for Core Sample Research, X-star, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Nankoku, Japan
| | | | - Junken Aoki
- Department of Health Chemistry, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masayuki Yamamoto
- Department of Integrative Genomics, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Tomoki Nakamura
- Department of Earth Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
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7
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Hänni N, Altwegg K, Combi M, Fuselier SA, De Keyser J, Rubin M, Wampfler SF. Identification and characterization of a new ensemble of cometary organic molecules. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3639. [PMID: 35752637 PMCID: PMC9233696 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31346-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
In-situ study of comet 1P/Halley during its 1986 apparition revealed a surprising abundance of organic coma species. It remained unclear, whether or not these species originated from polymeric matter. Now, high-resolution mass-spectrometric data collected at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko by ESA’s Rosetta mission unveil the chemical structure of complex cometary organics. Here, we identify an ensemble of individual molecules with masses up to 140 Da while demonstrating inconsistency of the data with relevant amounts of polymeric matter. The ensemble has an average composition of C1H1.56O0.134N0.046S0.017, identical to meteoritic soluble organic matter, and includes a plethora of chain-based, cyclic, and aromatic hydrocarbons at an approximate ratio of 6:3:1. Its compositional and structural properties, except for the H/C ratio, resemble those of other Solar System reservoirs of organics—from organic material in the Saturnian ring rain to meteoritic soluble and insoluble organic matter –, which is compatible with a shared prestellar history. A new analysis of Rosetta mass spectra reveals an ensemble of complex organic molecules with striking similarities to other organic reservoirs in the Solar System, including Saturn’s ring rain material, pointing at a likely joint prestellar history.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Hänni
- Physics Institute, Space Research & Planetary Sciences, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, 3012, Bern, Switzerland.
| | - K Altwegg
- Physics Institute, Space Research & Planetary Sciences, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - M Combi
- Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - S A Fuselier
- Space Science Directorate, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA.,Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - J De Keyser
- Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy, BIRA-IASB, Brussels, Belgium
| | - M Rubin
- Physics Institute, Space Research & Planetary Sciences, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - S F Wampfler
- Center for Space and Habitability, University of Bern, Gesellschaftsstrasse 6, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
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8
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Georgiou R, Sahle CJ, Sokaras D, Bernard S, Bergmann U, Rueff JP, Bertrand L. X-ray Raman Scattering: A Hard X-ray Probe of Complex Organic Systems. Chem Rev 2022; 122:12977-13005. [PMID: 35737888 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c00953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
This paper provides a review of the characterization of organic systems via X-ray Raman scattering (XRS) and a step-by-step guidance for its application. We present the fundamentals of XRS required to use the technique and discuss the main parameters of the experimental set-ups to optimize spectral and spatial resolution while maximizing signal-to-background ratio. We review applications that target the analysis of mixtures of organic compounds, the identification of minor spectral features, and the spatial discrimination in heterogeneous systems. We discuss the recent development of the direct tomography technique, which utilizes the XRS process as a contrast mechanism for assessing the three-dimensional spatially resolved carbon chemistry of complex organic materials. We conclude by exposing the current limitations and provide an outlook on how to overcome some of the existing challenges and advance future developments and applications of this powerful technique for complex organic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafaella Georgiou
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Ministère de la Culture, UVSQ, MNHN, IPANEMA, F-91192 Saint-Aubin, France.,Synchrotron SOLEIL, L'Orme des Merisiers, Saint Aubin BP 48, 91192, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | | | - Dimosthenis Sokaras
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, Menlo Park, California 94025, United States
| | - Sylvain Bernard
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 7590, Institut de Minéralogie, Physique des Matériaux et Cosmochimie, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Uwe Bergmann
- Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Jean-Pascal Rueff
- Synchrotron SOLEIL, L'Orme des Merisiers, Saint Aubin BP 48, 91192, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.,Laboratoire de Chimie Physique-Matière et Rayonnement, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Loïc Bertrand
- Photophysique et Photochimie Supramoléculaires et Macromoléculaires, Université Paris-Saclay, ENS Paris-Saclay, CNRS, 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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9
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Rimola A, Balucani N, Ceccarelli C, Ugliengo P. Tracing the Primordial Chemical Life of Glycine: A Review from Quantum Chemical Simulations. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:4252. [PMID: 35457069 PMCID: PMC9030215 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23084252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Glycine (Gly), NH2CH2COOH, is the simplest amino acid. Although it has not been directly detected in the interstellar gas-phase medium, it has been identified in comets and meteorites, and its synthesis in these environments has been simulated in terrestrial laboratory experiments. Likewise, condensation of Gly to form peptides in scenarios resembling those present in a primordial Earth has been demonstrated experimentally. Thus, Gly is a paradigmatic system for biomolecular building blocks to investigate how they can be synthesized in astrophysical environments, transported and delivered by fragments of asteroids (meteorites, once they land on Earth) and comets (interplanetary dust particles that land on Earth) to the primitive Earth, and there react to form biopolymers as a step towards the emergence of life. Quantum chemical investigations addressing these Gly-related events have been performed, providing fundamental atomic-scale information and quantitative energetic data. However, they are spread in the literature and difficult to harmonize in a consistent way due to different computational chemistry methodologies and model systems. This review aims to collect the work done so far to characterize, at a quantum mechanical level, the chemical life of Gly, i.e., from its synthesis in the interstellar medium up to its polymerization on Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert Rimola
- Departament de Química, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Catalonia, Spain
| | - Nadia Balucani
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università di Perugia, Via Elce di Sotto 8, 06123 Perugia, Italy;
- Osservatorio Astrosico di Arcetri, Largo E. Fermi 5, 50125 Firenze, Italy
| | - Cecilia Ceccarelli
- CNRS, Institut de Planétologie et d’Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG), Université Grenoble Alpes, 38000 Grenoble, France;
| | - Piero Ugliengo
- Dipartimento di Chimica and Nanostructured Interfaces and Surfaces (NIS) Centre, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via P. Giuria 7, 10125 Torino, Italy;
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10
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Mejía C, da Costa CAP, Iza P, da Silveira EF. Irradiation of Phenylalanine at 300 K by MeV Ions. ASTROBIOLOGY 2022; 22:439-451. [PMID: 35427147 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0017] [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: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Phenylalanine (Phe) is an amino acid that has been identified in carbonaceous meteorites; its formation mechanism in space is unknown, and its radioresistance has been the subject of investigation. This work aims at studying, in the laboratory, the Phe radiolysis by cosmic analogues. The Phe destruction rate, at 300 K, is measured for H, He, and N ion beam irradiation in the 0.5 to 2 kinetic MeV range. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was employed to monitor the molecular degradation as a function of fluence. The Phe apparent destruction cross-section, σapd, which includes radiolysis and sputtering processes, is determined to be proportional to the electronic stopping power, Se. The measured parameter D0 = 14.3 ± 2.2 eV/molec in the relationship, and σdap = Se/D0 is interpreted as the mean absorbed dose necessary to dissociate or eject a Phe molecule. The Phe half-life in the interstellar medium is predicted to be about 10 million years, H+ ions the main destructive cosmic ray constituent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Mejía
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad de Cuenca, Cuenca, Ecuador
| | - Cíntia A P da Costa
- Physics Department, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Peter Iza
- Departamento de Física, Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, ESPOL, Guayaquil, Ecuador
| | - Enio F da Silveira
- Physics Department, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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11
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Audinot JN, Philipp P, De Castro O, Biesemeier A, Hoang QH, Wirtz T. Highest resolution chemical imaging based on secondary ion mass spectrometry performed on the helium ion microscope. REPORTS ON PROGRESS IN PHYSICS. PHYSICAL SOCIETY (GREAT BRITAIN) 2021; 84:105901. [PMID: 34404033 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6633/ac1e32] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
This paper is a review on the combination between Helium Ion Microscopy (HIM) and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS), which is a recently developed technique that is of particular relevance in the context of the quest for high-resolution high-sensitivity nano-analytical solutions. We start by giving an overview on the HIM-SIMS concept and the underlying fundamental principles of both HIM and SIMS. We then present and discuss instrumental aspects of the HIM and SIMS techniques, highlighting the advantage of the integrated HIM-SIMS instrument. We give an overview on the performance characteristics of the HIM-SIMS technique, which is capable of producing elemental SIMS maps with lateral resolution below 20 nm, approaching the physical resolution limits, while maintaining a sub-nanometric resolution in the secondary electron microscopy mode. In addition, we showcase different strategies and methods allowing to take profit of both capabilities of the HIM-SIMS instrument (high-resolution imaging using secondary electrons and mass filtered secondary sons) in a correlative approach. Since its development HIM-SIMS has been successfully applied to a large variety of scientific and technological topics. Here, we will present and summarise recent applications of nanoscale imaging in materials research, life sciences and geology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Nicolas Audinot
- Advanced Instrumentation for Nano-Analytics (AINA), MRT Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), 41 rue du Brill, L-4422 Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Patrick Philipp
- Advanced Instrumentation for Nano-Analytics (AINA), MRT Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), 41 rue du Brill, L-4422 Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Olivier De Castro
- Advanced Instrumentation for Nano-Analytics (AINA), MRT Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), 41 rue du Brill, L-4422 Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Antje Biesemeier
- Advanced Instrumentation for Nano-Analytics (AINA), MRT Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), 41 rue du Brill, L-4422 Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Quang Hung Hoang
- Advanced Instrumentation for Nano-Analytics (AINA), MRT Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), 41 rue du Brill, L-4422 Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Tom Wirtz
- Advanced Instrumentation for Nano-Analytics (AINA), MRT Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), 41 rue du Brill, L-4422 Belvaux, Luxembourg
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12
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Method for detecting and quantitating capture of organic molecules in hypervelocity impacts. MethodsX 2021; 8:101239. [PMID: 34434762 PMCID: PMC8374173 DOI: 10.1016/j.mex.2021.101239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Enceladus is a prime candidate in the solar system for in-depth astrobiological studies searching for habitability and life because it has a liquid water ocean with significant organic content and ongoing cryovolcanic activity. The presence of ice plumes that jet up through fissures in the ice crust covering the sub-surface ocean, enables remote sampling and in-situ analysis via a fly-by mission. However, capture and transport of organic materials to organic analyzers presents distinctive challenges as it is unknown whether, and to what extent, organic molecules imbedded in ice particles can be captured and survive hypervelocity impacts. This manuscript provides a fluorescence microscopic method to parametrically determine the amount of an organic fluorescent tracer dye, Pacific Blue™ (PB) deposited on a metallic surface. This method can be used to measure the capture and survival outcomes of terrestrial hypervelocity impact experiments where an ice projectile labeled with Pacific Blue impacts a soft metal surface. This work is an important step in the advancement of instruments like the Enceladus Organic Analyzer for detecting biosignatures in an Enceladus plume fly-by mission. An apparatus consisting of a substrate humidification shroud coupled with an epifluorescence microscope with CCD detector is developed to measure the intensity of quantitatively deposited Pacific Blue droplets under controlled humidity. Calibration curves are produced that relate the integrated fluorescence intensity of humidified PB droplets on metal foils to the number of PB molecules deposited. To demonstrate the utility of this method, our calibrations are used to analyze and quantitate organic capture and survival (up to 11% capture efficiency) following ice particle impacts at a velocity of 1.7 km/s on an aluminum substrate.
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13
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Role of the Interchangeable Cations on the Sorption of Fumaric and Succinic Acids on Montmorillonite and its Relevance in Prebiotic Chemistry. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2021; 51:87-116. [PMID: 34251577 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-021-09609-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
It has been proposed that clays could have served as key factors in promoting the increase in complexity of organic matter in primitive terrestrial and extraterrestrial environments. The aim of this work is to study the adsorption-desorption of two dicarboxylic acids, fumaric and succinic acids, onto clay minerals (sodium and iron montmorillonite). These two acids may have played a role in prebiotic chemistry, and in extant biochemistry, they constitute an important redox couple (e.g. in Krebs cycle) in extant biochemistry. Smectite clays might have played a key role in the origins of life. The effect of pH on sorption has been tested; the analysis was performed by UV-vis and FTIR-ATR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence. The results show that chemisorption is the main responsible of the adsorption processes among the dicarboxylic acids and clays. The role of the ion, present in the clay, is fundamental in the adsorption processes of dicarboxylic acids. These ions (sodium and iron) were selected due to their relevance on the geochemical environments that possibly existed into the primitive Earth. Different mechanisms are proposed to explain the sorption of dicarboxylic acids in the clay. In this work, we propose the formation of complexes among metal cations in the clays and dicarboxylic acids. The organic complexes were probably formed in the prebiotic environments enabling chemical processes, prior to the appearance of life. Thus, the data presented here are relevant to the origin of life studies.
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14
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Achour S, Hosni Z, Darghouthi S, Syme C. Assisted dipeptide bond formation: glycine as a case study. Heliyon 2021; 7:e07276. [PMID: 34195408 PMCID: PMC8225972 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Peptide bond formation is a crucial chemical process that dominates most biological mechanisms and is claimed to be a governing factor in the origin of life. Dipeptides made from glycine are studied computationally via Density Functional Theory (DFT) using two different basis sets. This reaction was investigated from both a thermodynamic and kinetic point of view. The effect of explicit assistance via the introduction of discrete solvent molecules was investigated. Water, methanol, and cyclohexane were all employed as solvent media in addition to gas to investigate their effects on the mechanism of peptide bond formation. This computational investigation revealed that methanol is slightly better than water to leverage peptide bond formation both kinetically and thermodynamically, while cyclohexane, a non-polar and non-protic solvent, is the least effective after gas as a medium of solvation. Energetic results in the gas environment are very close to those obtained in polar and protic solvents, suggesting that peptide bonds can be formed under interstellar conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofiene Achour
- University of Tunis El Manar, Research Unity of Modeling in Fundamental Sciences and Didactics, Team of Theoretical Chemistry and Reactivity, BP 254, El Manar 2, 2096, Tunisia
| | - Zied Hosni
- Sheffield Chemoinformatics Research Group, Information School, University of Sheffield, Regent Court, 211 Portobello, S1 4DP, Sheffield, UK
| | - Sarra Darghouthi
- University of Tunis El Manar, Research Unity of Modeling in Fundamental Sciences and Didactics, Team of Theoretical Chemistry and Reactivity, BP 254, El Manar 2, 2096, Tunisia
| | - Christopher Syme
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Sir Michael Stoker Building, Garscube Campus, 464 Bearsden Road, Glasgow, G61 1QH, Scotland, UK
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15
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d'Ischia M, Manini P, Martins Z, Remusat L, O'D Alexander CM, Puzzarini C, Barone V, Saladino R. Insoluble organic matter in chondrites: Archetypal melanin-like PAH-based multifunctionality at the origin of life? Phys Life Rev 2021; 37:65-93. [PMID: 33774429 DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2021.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
An interdisciplinary review of the chemical literature that points to a unifying scenario for the origin of life, referred to as the Primordial Multifunctional organic Entity (PriME) scenario, is provided herein. In the PriME scenario it is suggested that the Insoluble Organic Matter (IOM) in carbonaceous chondrites, as well as interplanetary dust particles from meteorites and comets may have played an important role in the three most critical processes involved in the origin of life, namely 1) metabolism, via a) the provision and accumulation of molecules that are the building blocks of life, b) catalysis (e.g., by templation), and c) protection of developing life molecules against radiation by excited state deactivation; 2) compartmentalization, via adsorption of compounds on the exposed organic surfaces in fractured meteorites, and 3) replication, via deaggregation, desorption and related physical phenomena. This scenario is based on the hitherto overlooked structural and physicochemical similarities between the IOM and the dark, insoluble, multifunctional melanin polymers found in bacteria and fungi and associated with the ability of these microorganisms to survive extreme conditions, including ionizing radiation. The underlying conceptual link between these two materials is strengthened by the fact that primary precursors of bacterial and fungal melanins (collectively referred to herein as allomelanins) are hydroxylated aromatic compounds like homogentisic acid and 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene, and that similar hydroxylated aromatic compounds, including hydroxynaphthalenes, figure prominently among possible components of the organic materials on dust grains and ices in the interstellar matter, and may be involved in the formation of IOM in meteorites. Inspired by this rationale, a vis-à-vis review of the properties of IOM from various chondrites and non-nitrogenous allomelanin pigments from bacteria and fungi is provided herein. The unrecognized similarities between these materials may pave the way for a novel scenario at the origin of life, in which IOM-related complex organic polymers delivered to the early Earth are proposed to serve as PriME and were preserved and transformed in those primitive forms of life that shared the ability to synthesize melanin polymers playing an important role in the critical processes underlying the establishment of terrestrial eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco d'Ischia
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cintia 4, 80126 Naples, Italy.
| | - Paola Manini
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cintia 4, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Zita Martins
- Centro de Química Estrutural and Departamento de Engenharia Química, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Laurent Remusat
- Institut de minéralogie, de physique des matériaux et de cosmochimie, UMR CNRS 7590, Sorbonne Université, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 61 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Conel M O'D Alexander
- Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, 5241 Broad Branch Road, NW Washington, DC 20015-1305, USA
| | - Cristina Puzzarini
- Department of Chemistry "Giacomo Ciamician", University of Bologna, Via F. Selmi 2, Bologna, I-40126, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Barone
- Scuola Normale Superiore, Piazza dei Cavalieri 7, Pisa, I-56126, Italy
| | - Raffaele Saladino
- Biological and Ecological Sciences Department (DEB), University of Tuscia, Via S. Camillo de Lellis 01100 Viterbo, Italy
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16
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Fukuda K, Brownlee DE, Joswiak DJ, Tenner TJ, Kimura M, Kita NT. Correlated isotopic and chemical evidence for condensation origins of olivine in comet 81P/Wild 2 and in AOAs from CV and CO chondrites. GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA 2021; 293:544-574. [PMID: 34866644 PMCID: PMC8637496 DOI: 10.1016/j.gca.2020.09.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Magnesium stable isotope ratios and minor element abundances of five olivine particles from comet 81P/Wild 2 were examined by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Wild 2 olivine particles exhibit only small variations in δ25Mg values from -1.0 +0.4/-0.5 ‰ to 0.6 +0.5/- 0.6 ‰ (2σ). This variation can be simply explained by mass-dependent fractionation from Mg isotopic compositions of the Earth and bulk meteorites, suggesting that Wild 2 olivine particles formed in the chondritic reservoir with respect to Mg isotope compositions. We also determined minor element abundances, and O and Mg isotope ratios of olivine grains in amoeboid olivine aggregates (AOAs) from Kaba (CV3.1) and DOM 08006 (CO3.01) carbonaceous chondrites. Our new SIMS minor element data reveal uniform, low FeO contents of ~0.05 wt% among AOA olivines from DOM 08006, suggesting that AOAs formed at more reducing environments in the solar nebula than previously thought. Furthermore, the SIMS-derived FeO contents of the AOA olivines are consistently lower than those obtained by electron microprobe analyses (~1 wt% FeO), indicating possible fluorescence from surrounding matrix materials and/or Fe,Ni-metals in AOAs during electron microprobe analyses. For Mg isotopes, AOA olivines show more negative mass-dependent fractionation (-3.8 ± 0.5‰ ≤ δ25Mg ≤ -0.2 ± 0.3‰; 2σ) relative to Wild 2 olivines. Further, these Mg isotope variations are correlated with their host AOA textures. Large negative Mg isotope fractionations in olivine are often observed in pore-rich AOAs, while those in compact AOAs tend to have near-chondritic Mg isotopic compositions. These observations indicate that pore-rich AOAs preserved their gas-solid condensation histories, while compact AOAs experienced thermal processing in the solar nebula after their condensation and aggregation. Importantly, one 16O-rich Wild 2 LIME olivine particle (T77/F50) shows negative Mg isotope fractionation (δ25Mg = -0.8 ± 0.4‰, δ26Mg = -1.4 ± 0.9‰; 2σ) relative to bulk chondrites. Minor element abundances of T77/F50 are in excellent agreement with those of olivines from pore-rich AOAs in DOM 08006. The observed similarity in O and Mg isotopes, and minor element abundances suggest that T77/F50 formed in an environment similar to AOAs, probably near the proto-Sun, and then was transported to the Kuiper belt, where comet 81P/Wild 2 likely accreted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kohei Fukuda
- WiscSIMS, Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Donald E. Brownlee
- Department of Astronomy, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - David J. Joswiak
- Department of Astronomy, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Travis J. Tenner
- Chemistry Division, Nuclear and Radiochemistry, Los Alamos National Laboratory, MSJ514, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
| | - Makoto Kimura
- National Institute of Polar Research, Tokyo 190-8518, Japan
| | - Noriko T. Kita
- WiscSIMS, Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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17
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McKay AJ, Roth NX. Organic Matter in Cometary Environments. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:37. [PMID: 33430031 PMCID: PMC7826631 DOI: 10.3390/life11010037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Comets contain primitive material leftover from the formation of the Solar System, making studies of their composition important for understanding the formation of volatile material in the early Solar System. This includes organic molecules, which, for the purpose of this review, we define as compounds with C-H and/or C-C bonds. In this review, we discuss the history and recent breakthroughs of the study of organic matter in comets, from simple organic molecules and photodissociation fragments to large macromolecular structures. We summarize results both from Earth-based studies as well as spacecraft missions to comets, highlighted by the Rosetta mission, which orbited comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko for two years, providing unprecedented insights into the nature of comets. We conclude with future prospects for the study of organic matter in comets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J. McKay
- Department of Physics, American University, Washington, DC 20016, USA
- Planetary Systems Laboratory Code 693, Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - Nathan X. Roth
- Astrochemistry Laboratory Code 691, Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA;
- Universities Space Research Association, Columbia, MD 21046, USA
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18
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Computational Surface Modelling of Ices and Minerals of Interstellar Interest—Insights and Perspectives. MINERALS 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/min11010026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The universe is molecularly rich, comprising from the simplest molecule (H2) to complex organic molecules (e.g., CH3CHO and NH2CHO), some of which of biological relevance (e.g., amino acids). This chemical richness is intimately linked to the different physical phases forming Solar-like planetary systems, in which at each phase, molecules of increasing complexity form. Interestingly, synthesis of some of these compounds only takes place in the presence of interstellar (IS) grains, i.e., solid-state sub-micron sized particles consisting of naked dust of silicates or carbonaceous materials that can be covered by water-dominated ice mantles. Surfaces of IS grains exhibit particular characteristics that allow the occurrence of pivotal chemical reactions, such as the presence of binding/catalytic sites and the capability to dissipate energy excesses through the grain phonons. The present know-how on the physicochemical features of IS grains has been obtained by the fruitful synergy of astronomical observational with astrochemical modelling and laboratory experiments. However, current limitations of these disciplines prevent us from having a full understanding of the IS grain surface chemistry as they cannot provide fundamental atomic-scale of grain surface elementary steps (i.e., adsorption, diffusion, reaction and desorption). This essential information can be obtained by means of simulations based on computational chemistry methods. One capability of these simulations deals with the construction of atom-based structural models mimicking the surfaces of IS grains, the very first step to investigate on the grain surface chemistry. This perspective aims to present the current state-of-the-art methods, techniques and strategies available in computational chemistry to model (i.e., construct and simulate) surfaces present in IS grains. Although we focus on water ice mantles and olivinic silicates as IS test case materials to exemplify the modelling procedures, a final discussion on the applicability of these approaches to simulate surfaces of other cosmic grain materials (e.g., cometary and meteoritic) is given.
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19
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Abstract
Most definitions of life assume that, at a minimum, life is a physical form of matter distinct from its environment at a lower state of entropy than its surroundings, using energy from the environment for internal maintenance and activity, and capable of autonomous reproduction. These assumptions cover all of life as we know it, though more exotic entities can be envisioned, including organic forms with novel biochemistries, dynamic inorganic matter, and self-replicating machines. The probability that any particular form of life will be found on another planetary body depends on the nature and history of that alien world. So the biospheres would likely be very different on a rocky planet with an ice-covered global ocean, a barren planet devoid of surface liquid, a frigid world with abundant liquid hydrocarbons, on a rogue planet independent of a host star, on a tidally locked planet, on super-Earths, or in long-lived clouds in dense atmospheres. While life at least in microbial form is probably pervasive if rare throughout the Universe, and technologically advanced life is likely much rarer, the chance that an alternative form of life, though not intelligent life, could exist and be detected within our Solar System is a distinct possibility.
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20
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Zhao S, Siqueira G, Drdova S, Norris D, Ubert C, Bonnin A, Galmarini S, Ganobjak M, Pan Z, Brunner S, Nyström G, Wang J, Koebel MM, Malfait WJ. Additive manufacturing of silica aerogels. Nature 2020; 584:387-392. [DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2594-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 152] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2019] [Accepted: 05/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
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21
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Organic Molecules: Is It Possible to Distinguish Aromatics from Aliphatics Collected by Space Missions in High-Speed Impacts? SCI 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/sci2030056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
A prime site of astrobiological interest within the Solar System is the interior ocean of Enceladus. This ocean has already been shown to contain organic molecules, and is thought to have the conditions necessary for more complex organic biomolecules to emerge and potentially even life itself. This sub-surface ocean has been accessed by Cassini, an unmanned spacecraft that interacted with the water plumes ejected naturally from Enceladus. The encounter speed with these plumes and their contents, was between 5 and 15 km s−1. Encounters at such speeds allow analysis of vapourised material from submicron-sized particles within the plume, but sampling micron-sized particles remains an open question. The latter particles can impact metal targets exposed on the exterior of future spacecraft, producing impact craters lined with impactor residue, which can then be analysed. Although there is considerable literature on how mineral grains behave in such high-speed impacts, and also on the relationship between the crater residue and the original grain composition, far less is known regarding the behaviour of organic particles. Here we consider a deceptively simple yet fundamental scientific question: for impacts at speeds of around 5−6 kms−1 would the impactor residue alone be sufficient to enable us to recognise the signature conferred by organic particles? Furthermore, would it be possible to identify the organic molecules involved, or at least distinguish between aromatic and aliphatic chemical structures? For polystyrene (aromatic-rich) and polymethylmethacrylate (solely aliphatic) latex particles impinging at around 5 km s−1 onto metal targets, we find that sufficient residue is retained at the impact site to permit identification of a carbon-rich projectile, but not of the particular molecules involved, nor is it currently possible to discriminate between aromatic-rich and solely aliphatic particles. This suggests that an alternative analytical method to simple impacts on metal targets is required to enable successful collection of organic samples in a fly-by Enceladus mission, or, alternatively, a lower encounter speed is required.
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22
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Organic Molecules: Is It Possible to Distinguish Aromatics from Aliphatics Collected by Space Missions in High-Speed Impacts? SCI 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/sci2020041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
A prime site of astrobiological interest within the Solar System is the interior ocean of Enceladus. This ocean has already been shown to contain organic molecules, and is thought to have the conditions necessary for more complex organic biomolecules to emerge and potentially even life itself. This sub-surface ocean has been accessed by Cassini, an unmanned spacecraft that interacted with the water plumes ejected naturally from Enceladus. The encounter speed with these plumes and their contents, was between 5 and 15 km s−1. Encounters at such speeds allow analysis of vapourised material from submicron-sized particles within the plume, but sampling micron-sized particles remains an open question. The latter particles can impact metal targets exposed on the exterior of future spacecraft, producing impact craters lined with impactor residue, which can then be analysed. Although there is considerable literature on how mineral grains behave in such high-speed impacts, and also on the relationship between the crater residue and the original grain composition, far less is known regarding the behaviour of organic particles. Here we consider a deceptively simple yet fundamental scientific question: for impacts at speeds of around 5–6 kms−1 would the impactor residue alone be sufficient to enable us to recognise the signature conferred by organic particles? Furthermore, would it be possible to identify the organic molecules involved, or at least distinguish between aromatic and aliphatic chemical structures? For polystyrene (aromatic-rich) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (solely aliphatic) latex particles impinging at around 5 km s−1 onto metal targets, we find that sufficient residue is retained at the impact site to permit identification of a carbon-rich projectile, but not of the particular molecules involved, nor is it currently possible to discriminate between aromatic-rich and solely aliphatic particles. This suggests that an alternative analytical method to simple impacts on metal targets is required to enable successful collection of organic samples in a fly-by Enceladus mission, or, alternatively, a lower encounter speed is required.
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23
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Chan QHS, Stroud R, Martins Z, Yabuta H. Concerns of Organic Contamination for Sample Return Space Missions. SPACE SCIENCE REVIEWS 2020; 216:56. [PMID: 32624626 PMCID: PMC7319412 DOI: 10.1007/s11214-020-00678-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Analysis of organic matter has been one of the major motivations behind solar system exploration missions. It addresses questions related to the organic inventory of our solar system and its implication for the origin of life on Earth. Sample return missions aim at returning scientifically valuable samples from target celestial bodies to Earth. By analysing the samples with the use of state-of-the-art analytical techniques in laboratories here on Earth, researchers can address extremely complicated aspects of extra-terrestrial organic matter. This level of detailed sample characterisation provides the range and depth in organic analysis that are restricted in spacecraft-based exploration missions, due to the limitations of the on-board in-situ instrumentation capabilities. So far, there are four completed and in-process sample return missions with an explicit mandate to collect organic matter: Stardust and OSIRIS-REx missions of NASA, and Hayabusa and Hayabusa2 missions of JAXA. Regardless of the target body, all sample return missions dedicate to minimise terrestrial organic contamination of the returned samples, by applying various degrees or strategies of organic contamination mitigation methods. Despite the dedicated efforts in the design and execution of contamination control, it is impossible to completely eliminate sources of organic contamination. This paper aims at providing an overview of the successes and lessons learned with regards to the identification of indigenous organic matter of the returned samples vs terrestrial contamination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Queenie Hoi Shan Chan
- Planetary and Space Sciences, School of Physical Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA UK
- Present Address: Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham Surrey, TW20 0EX UK
| | - Rhonda Stroud
- Code 6360, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375 USA
| | - Zita Martins
- Centro de Química Estrutural, Departamento de Engenharia Química, Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Hikaru Yabuta
- Department of Earth and Planetary Systems Science, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Hiroshima, 739-8526 Japan
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24
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Precometary organic matter: A hidden reservoir of water inside the snow line. Sci Rep 2020; 10:7755. [PMID: 32385395 PMCID: PMC7211008 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-64815-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2019] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The origin and evolution of solar system bodies, including water on the Earth, have been discussed based on the assumption that the relevant ingredients were simply silicates and ices. However, large amounts of organic matter have been found in cometary and interplanetary dust, which are recognized as remnants of interstellar/precometary grains. Precometary organic matter may therefore be a potential source of water; however, to date, there have been no experimental investigations into this possibility. Here, we experimentally demonstrate that abundant water and oil are formed via the heating of a precometary-organic-matter analog under conditions appropriate for the parent bodies of meteorites inside the snow line. This implies that H2O ice is not required as the sole source of water on planetary bodies inside the snow line. Further, we can explain the change in the oxidation state of the Earth from an initially reduced state to a final oxidized state. Our study also suggests that petroleum was present in the asteroids and is present in icy satellites and dwarf planets.
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25
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Sandford SA, Nuevo M, Bera PP, Lee TJ. Prebiotic Astrochemistry and the Formation of Molecules of Astrobiological Interest in Interstellar Clouds and Protostellar Disks. Chem Rev 2020; 120:4616-4659. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.9b00560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Scott A. Sandford
- NASA Ames Research Center, MS 245-6, Moffett Field, California 94035, United States
| | - Michel Nuevo
- NASA Ames Research Center, MS 245-6, Moffett Field, California 94035, United States
- BAER Institute, NASA Research Park, MS 18-4, Moffett Field, California 94035, United States
| | - Partha P. Bera
- NASA Ames Research Center, MS 245-6, Moffett Field, California 94035, United States
- BAER Institute, NASA Research Park, MS 18-4, Moffett Field, California 94035, United States
| | - Timothy J. Lee
- NASA Ames Research Center, MS 245-3, Moffett Field, California 94035, United States
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26
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Organic Molecules: Is It Possible To Distinguish Aromatics From Aliphatics Collected By Space Missions in High-Speed Impacts. SCI 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/sci2010012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
A prime site of astrobiological interest within the Solar System is the interior ocean of Enceladus. This ocean has already been shown to contain organic molecules, and is thought to have the conditions necessary for more complex organic biomolecules to emerge and potentially even life itself. This sub-surface ocean has been accessed by Cassini, an unmanned spacecraft that interacted with the water plumes ejected naturally from Enceladus. The encounter speed with these plumes and their contents, was 5 km s−1 and above. Encounters at such speeds allow analysis of vapourised material from submicron-sized particles within the plume, but sampling micron-sized particles remains an open question. The latter particles can impact metal targets exposed on the exterior of future spacecraft, producing impact craters lined with impactor residue, which can then be analysed. Although there is considerable literature on how mineral grains behave in such high-speed impacts, and also on the relationship between the crater residue and the original grain composition, far less is known regarding the behaviour of organic particles. Here we consider a deceptively simple yet fundamental scientific question: for impacts at speeds of around 5−6 kms−1 would the impactor residue alone be sufficient to enable us to recognise the signature conferred by organic particles? Furthermore, would it be possible to identify the organic molecules involved, or at least distinguish between aromatic and aliphatic chemical structures? For polystyrene (aromatic-rich) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (solely aliphatic) latex particles impinging at around 5 km s-1 onto metal targets, we find that sufficient residue is retained at the impact site to permit identification of a carbon-rich projectile, but not of the particular molecules involved, nor is it currently possible to discriminate between aromatic-rich and solely aliphatic particles. This suggests that an alternative analytical method to simple impacts on metal targets is required to enable successful collection of organic samples in a fly-by Enceladus mission, or, alternatively, a lower encounter speed is required.
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27
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Organic Molecules: Is It Possible to Distinguish Aromatics from Aliphatics Collected by Space Missions in High Speed Impacts? SCI 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/sci1020053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
A prime site of astrobiological interest within the Solar System is the interior ocean of Enceladus. This ocean has already been shown to contain organic molecules and is thought to have the conditions necessary for more complex organic biomolecules to emerge and potentially even life itself. This sub-surface ocean has been accessed by Cassini, an unmanned spacecraft that interacted with the water plumes ejected naturally from Enceladus. The encounter speed with these plumes and their contents was 5 km s−1 and above. Encounters at such speeds allow analysis of vaporised material from submicron-sized particles within the plume, but sampling micron-sized particles remains an open question. The latter particles can impact metal targets exposed on the exterior of future spacecraft, producing impact craters lined with impactor residue, which can then be analysed. Although there is considerable literature on how mineral grains behave in such high-speed impacts, and also on the relationship between the crater residue and the original grain composition, far less is known regarding the behaviour of organic particles. Here we consider a deceptively simple yet fundamental scientific question: for impacts at speeds of around 5–6 kms−1 would the impactor residue alone be sufficient to enable us to recognise the signature conferred by organic particles? Furthermore, would it be possible to identify the organic molecules involved, or at least distinguish between aromatic and aliphatic chemical structures? For polystyrene (aromatic-rich) and poly (methyl methacrylate) (solely aliphatic) latex particles impinging at around 5 km s−1 onto metal targets, we found that sufficient residue is retained at the impact site to permit identification of a carbon-rich projectile, but not of the particular molecules involved, nor is it currently possible to discriminate between aromatic-rich and solely aliphatic particles. This suggests that an alternative analytical method to simple impacts on metal targets is required to enable successful collection of organic samples in a fly-by Enceladus mission.
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28
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COHEN BA, SZALAY JR, RIVKIN AS, RICHARDSON JA, KLIMA RL, ERNST CM, CHABOT NL, STERNOVSKY Z, HORÁNYI M. Using dust shed from asteroids as microsamples to link remote measurements with meteorite classes. METEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE 2019; 54:2046-2066. [PMID: 32256026 PMCID: PMC7120990 DOI: 10.1111/maps.13348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2018] [Accepted: 05/30/2019] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Given the compositional diversity of asteroids, and their distribution in space, it is impossible to consider returning samples from each one to establish their origin. However, the velocity and molecular composition of primary minerals, hydrated silicates, and organic materials can be determined by in situ dust detector instruments. Such instruments could sample the cloud of micrometer-scale particles shed by asteroids to provide direct links to known meteorite groups without returning the samples to terrestrial laboratories. We extend models of the measured lunar dust cloud from LADEE to show that the abundance of detectable impact-generated microsamples around asteroids is a function of the parent body radius, heliocentric distance, flyby distance, and speed. We use Monte Carlo modeling to show that several tens to hundreds of particles, if randomly ejected and detected during a flyby, would be a sufficient number to classify the parent body as an ordinary chondrite, basaltic achondrite, or other class of meteorite. Encountering and measuring microsamples shed from near-Earth and Main Belt asteroids, coupled with complementary imaging and multispectral measurements, could accomplish a thorough characterization of small, airless bodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- B. A. COHEN
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - J. R. SZALAY
- Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA
| | - A. S. RIVKIN
- Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, Maryland 20723, USA
| | - J. A. RICHARDSON
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - R. L. KLIMA
- Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, Maryland 20723, USA
| | - C. M. ERNST
- Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, Maryland 20723, USA
| | - N. L. CHABOT
- Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, Maryland 20723, USA
| | - Z. STERNOVSKY
- LASP, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA
- Smead Aerospace Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA
| | - M. HORÁNYI
- LASP, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA
- Physics Department, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA
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29
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Simkus DN, Aponte JC, Elsila JE, Parker ET, Glavin DP, Dworkin JP. Methodologies for Analyzing Soluble Organic Compounds in Extraterrestrial Samples: Amino Acids, Amines, Monocarboxylic Acids, Aldehydes, and Ketones. Life (Basel) 2019; 9:E47. [PMID: 31174308 PMCID: PMC6617175 DOI: 10.3390/life9020047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2019] [Revised: 05/18/2019] [Accepted: 05/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Soluble organic compositions of extraterrestrial samples offer valuable insights into the prebiotic organic chemistry of the solar system. This review provides a summary of the techniques commonly used for analyzing amino acids, amines, monocarboxylic acids, aldehydes, and ketones in extraterrestrial samples. Here, we discuss possible effects of various experimental factors (e.g., extraction protocols, derivatization methods, and chromatographic techniques) in order to highlight potential influences on the results obtained from different methodologies. This detailed summary and assessment of current techniques is intended to serve as a basic guide for selecting methodologies for soluble organic analyses and to emphasize some key considerations for future method development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle N Simkus
- NASA Postdoctoral Program at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.
| | - José C Aponte
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.
- Department of Chemistry, Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. 20064, USA.
| | - Jamie E Elsila
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.
| | - Eric T Parker
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.
| | - Daniel P Glavin
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.
| | - Jason P Dworkin
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.
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30
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Ruf A, Poinot P, Geffroy C, Le Sergeant d'Hendecourt L, Danger G. Data-Driven UPLC-Orbitrap MS Analysis in Astrochemistry. Life (Basel) 2019; 9:life9020035. [PMID: 31052536 PMCID: PMC6617268 DOI: 10.3390/life9020035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2019] [Revised: 04/13/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Meteorites have been found to be rich and highly diverse in organic compounds. Next to previous direct infusion high resolution mass spectrometry experiments (DI-HR-MS), we present here data-driven strategies to evaluate UPLC-Orbitrap MS analyses. This allows a comprehensive mining of structural isomers extending the level of information on the molecular diversity in astrochemical materials. As a proof-of-concept study, Murchison and Allende meteorites were analyzed. Both, global organic fingerprint and specific isomer analyses are discussed. Up to 31 different isomers per molecular composition are present in Murchison suggesting the presence of ≈440,000 different compounds detected therein. By means of this time-resolving high resolution mass spectrometric method, we go one step further toward the characterization of chemical structures within complex extraterrestrial mixtures, enabling a better understanding of organic chemical evolution, from interstellar ices toward small bodies in the Solar System.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Ruf
- Laboratoire de Physique des Interactions Ioniques et Moléculaires (PIIM), Université Aix-Marseille, Saint Jérôme-AVE Escadrille Normandie Niemen, 13013 Marseille, France.
| | - Pauline Poinot
- Institut de Chimie des Milieux et Matériaux de Poitiers (IC2MP), Université de Poitiers, UMR CNRS 7285, 86073 Poitiers, France.
| | - Claude Geffroy
- Institut de Chimie des Milieux et Matériaux de Poitiers (IC2MP), Université de Poitiers, UMR CNRS 7285, 86073 Poitiers, France.
| | - Louis Le Sergeant d'Hendecourt
- Laboratoire de Physique des Interactions Ioniques et Moléculaires (PIIM), Université Aix-Marseille, Saint Jérôme-AVE Escadrille Normandie Niemen, 13013 Marseille, France.
| | - Gregoire Danger
- Laboratoire de Physique des Interactions Ioniques et Moléculaires (PIIM), Université Aix-Marseille, Saint Jérôme-AVE Escadrille Normandie Niemen, 13013 Marseille, France.
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31
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Newton MS, Morrone DJ, Lee KH, Seelig B. Genetic Code Evolution Investigated through the Synthesis and Characterisation of Proteins from Reduced-Alphabet Libraries. Chembiochem 2019; 20:846-856. [PMID: 30511381 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201800668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The universal genetic code of 20 amino acids is the product of evolution. It is believed that earlier versions of the code had fewer residues. Many theories for the order in which amino acids were integrated into the code have been proposed, considering factors ranging from prebiotic chemistry to codon capture. Several meta-analyses combined these theories to yield a feasible consensus chronology of the genetic code's evolution, but there is a dearth of experimental data to test the hypothesised order. We used combinatorial chemistry to synthesise libraries of random polypeptides that were based on different subsets of the 20 standard amino acids, thus representing different stages of a plausible history of the alphabet. Four libraries were comprised of the five, nine, and 16 most ancient amino acids, and all 20 extant residues for a direct side-by-side comparison. We characterised numerous variants from each library for their solubility and propensity to form secondary, tertiary or quaternary structures. Proteins from the two most ancient libraries were more likely to be soluble than those from the extant library. Several individual protein variants exhibited inducible protein folding and other traits typical of intrinsically disordered proteins. From these libraries, we can infer how primordial protein structure and function might have evolved with the genetic code.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matilda S Newton
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.,BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, 1479 Gortner Avenue, 140 Gortner Laboratory, St. Paul, MN, 55108-6106, USA
| | - Dana J Morrone
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.,BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, 1479 Gortner Avenue, 140 Gortner Laboratory, St. Paul, MN, 55108-6106, USA
| | - Kun-Hwa Lee
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.,BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, 1479 Gortner Avenue, 140 Gortner Laboratory, St. Paul, MN, 55108-6106, USA
| | - Burckhard Seelig
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.,BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, 1479 Gortner Avenue, 140 Gortner Laboratory, St. Paul, MN, 55108-6106, USA
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32
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Contributions from Accreted Organics to Titan’s Atmosphere: New Insights from Cometary and Chondritic Data. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019. [DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/aaf561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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33
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Chiral optical tweezers for optically active particles in the T-matrix formalism. Sci Rep 2019; 9:29. [PMID: 30631081 PMCID: PMC6328542 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-36434-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2018] [Accepted: 11/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Modeling optical tweezers in the T-matrix formalism has been of key importance for accurate and efficient calculations of optical forces and their comparison with experiments. Here we extend this formalism to the modeling of chiral optomechanics and optical tweezers where chiral light is used for optical manipulation and trapping of optically active particles. We first use the Bohren decomposition to deal with the light scattering of chiral light on optically active particles. Thus, we show analytically that all the observables (cross sections, asymmetry parameters) are split into a helicity dependent and independent part and study a practical example of a complex resin particle with inner copper-coated stainless steel helices. Then, we apply this chiral T-matrix framework to optical tweezers where a tightly focused chiral field is used to trap an optically active spherical particle, calculate the chiral behaviour of optical trapping stiffnesses and their size scaling, and extend calculations to chiral nanowires and clusters of astrophysical interest. Such general light scattering framework opens perspectives for modeling optical forces on biological materials where optically active amino acids and carbohydrates are present.
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Nanoscale infrared imaging analysis of carbonaceous chondrites to understand organic-mineral interactions during aqueous alteration. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:753-758. [PMID: 30602454 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1816265116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Organic matter in carbonaceous chondrites is distributed in fine-grained matrix. To understand pre- and postaccretion history of organic matter and its association with surrounding minerals, microscopic techniques are mandatory. Infrared (IR) spectroscopy is a useful technique, but the spatial resolution of IR is limited to a few micrometers, due to the diffraction limit. In this study, we applied the high spatial resolution IR imaging method to CM2 carbonaceous chondrites Murchison and Bells, which is based on an atomic force microscopy (AFM) with its tip detecting thermal expansion of a sample resulting from absorption of infrared radiation. We confirmed that this technique permits ∼30 nm spatial resolution organic analysis for the meteorite samples. The IR imaging results are consistent with the previously reported association of organic matter and phyllosilicates, but our results are at much higher spatial resolution. This observation of heterogeneous distributions of the functional groups of organic matter revealed its association with minerals at ∼30 nm spatial resolution in meteorite samples by IR spectroscopy.
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Waite JH, Perryman RS, Perry ME, Miller KE, Bell J, Cravens TE, Glein CR, Grimes J, Hedman M, Cuzzi J, Brockwell T, Teolis B, Moore L, Mitchell DG, Persoon A, Kurth WS, Wahlund JE, Morooka M, Hadid LZ, Chocron S, Walker J, Nagy A, Yelle R, Ledvina S, Johnson R, Tseng W, Tucker OJ, Ip WH. Chemical interactions between Saturn’s atmosphere and its rings. Science 2018; 362:362/6410/eaat2382. [DOI: 10.1126/science.aat2382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2018] [Accepted: 09/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
The Pioneer and Voyager spacecraft made close-up measurements of Saturn’s ionosphere and upper atmosphere in the 1970s and 1980s that suggested a chemical interaction between the rings and atmosphere. Exploring this interaction provides information on ring composition and the influence on Saturn’s atmosphere from infalling material. The Cassini Ion Neutral Mass Spectrometer sampled in situ the region between the D ring and Saturn during the spacecraft’s Grand Finale phase. We used these measurements to characterize the atmospheric structure and material influx from the rings. The atmospheric He/H2 ratio is 10 to 16%. Volatile compounds from the rings (methane; carbon monoxide and/or molecular nitrogen), as well as larger organic-bearing grains, are flowing inward at a rate of 4800 to 45,000 kilograms per second.
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Clark BC, Kolb VM. Comet Pond II: Synergistic Intersection of Concentrated Extraterrestrial Materials and Planetary Environments to Form Procreative Darwinian Ponds. Life (Basel) 2018; 8:E12. [PMID: 29751593 PMCID: PMC6027224 DOI: 10.3390/life8020012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2018] [Revised: 04/24/2018] [Accepted: 05/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In the “comet pond” model, a rare combination of circumstances enables the entry and landing of pristine organic material onto a planetary surface with the creation of a pond by a soft impact and melting of entrained ices. Formation of the constituents of the comet in the cold interstellar medium and our circumstellar disk results in multiple constituents at disequilibrium which undergo rapid chemical reactions in the warmer, liquid environment. The planetary surface also provides minerals and atmospheric gases which chemically interact with the pond’s organic- and trace-element-rich constituents. Pond physical morphology and the heterogeneities imposed by gravitational forces (bottom sludge; surface scum) and weather result in a highly heterogeneous variety of macro- and microenvironments. Wet/dry, freeze/thaw, and natural chromatography processes further promote certain reaction sequences. Evaporation concentrates organics less volatile than water. Freezing concentrates all soluble organics into a residual liquid phase, including CH₃OH, HCN, etc. The pond’s evolutionary processes culminate in the creation of a Macrobiont with the metabolically equivalent capabilities of energy transduction and replication of RNA (or its progenitor informational macromolecule), from which smaller organisms can emerge. Planet-wide dispersal of microorganisms is achieved through wind transport, groundwater, and/or spillover from the pond into surface hydrologic networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benton C Clark
- Research Branch, Space Science Institute, Boulder, CO 80201, USA.
| | - Vera M Kolb
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin⁻Parkside, Kenosha, WI 53141, USA.
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Levasseur-Regourd AC, Agarwal J, Cottin H, Engrand C, Flynn G, Fulle M, Gombosi T, Langevin Y, Lasue J, Mannel T, Merouane S, Poch O, Thomas N, Westphal A. Cometary Dust. SPACE SCIENCE REVIEWS 2018; 214:64. [PMID: 35095119 PMCID: PMC8793767 DOI: 10.1007/s11214-018-0496-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 03/16/2018] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
This review presents our understanding of cometary dust at the end of 2017. For decades, insight about the dust ejected by nuclei of comets had stemmed from remote observations from Earth or Earth's orbit, and from flybys, including the samples of dust returned to Earth for laboratory studies by the Stardust return capsule. The long-duration Rosetta mission has recently provided a huge and unique amount of data, obtained using numerous instruments, including innovative dust instruments, over a wide range of distances from the Sun and from the nucleus. The diverse approaches available to study dust in comets, together with the related theoretical and experimental studies, provide evidence of the composition and physical properties of dust particles, e.g., the presence of a large fraction of carbon in macromolecules, and of aggregates on a wide range of scales. The results have opened vivid discussions on the variety of dust-release processes and on the diversity of dust properties in comets, as well as on the formation of cometary dust, and on its presence in the near-Earth interplanetary medium. These discussions stress the significance of future explorations as a way to decipher the formation and evolution of our Solar System.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anny-Chantal Levasseur-Regourd
- Sorbonne Université; UVSQ; CNRS/INSU; Campus Pierre et Marie Curie, BC 102, 4 place Jussieu, F-75005 Paris, France, Tel.: + 33 144274875,
| | - Jessica Agarwal
- Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg, 3, D-37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Hervé Cottin
- Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques (LISA), UMR CNRS 7583, Université Paris-Est Créteil et Université Paris Diderot, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace, 94000 Créteil, France
| | - Cécile Engrand
- Centre de Sciences Nucléaires et de Sciences de la Matière (CSNSM), CNRS/IN2P3 Université Paris Sud - UMR 8609, Université Paris-Saclay, Bâtiment 104, 91405 Orsay Campus, France
| | - George Flynn
- SUNY-Plattsburgh, 101 Broad St, Plattsburgh, NY 12901, United States
| | - Marco Fulle
- INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico, Via Tiepolo 11, 34143 Trieste Italy
| | - Tamas Gombosi
- Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Yves Langevin
- Institut dAstrophysique Spatiale (IAS), CNRS/Université Paris Sud, Bâtiment 121, 91405 Orsay France
| | - Jérémie Lasue
- IRAP, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, CNES, Toulouse, France
| | - Thurid Mannel
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Schmiedlstrasse 6, 8042 Graz, Austria; Physics Institute, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 5, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Sihane Merouane
- Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg, 3, D-37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Olivier Poch
- Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG), Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IPAG, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Nicolas Thomas
- Physikalisches Institut, Universität Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Andrew Westphal
- Space Sciences Laboratory, U.C. Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720-7450 USA
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Mora MF, Jones SM, Creamer J, Willis PA. Extraction of amino acids from aerogel for analysis by capillary electrophoresis. Implications for a mission concept to Enceladus' Plume. Electrophoresis 2017; 39:620-625. [PMID: 29136289 DOI: 10.1002/elps.201700323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2017] [Revised: 10/20/2017] [Accepted: 11/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Ocean worlds like Europa and Enceladus in the outer solar system are prime targets in the search for life beyond Earth. Enceladus is particularly interesting due to the presence of a water plume ejecting from the south polar region. The recent discovery of H2 in the plume, in addition to the presence of previously observed organic compounds, highlights the possibility of life in this moon. The plume provides materials from the underlying ocean that could be collected simply by flying through it. The presence of the plume means that material from the ocean is available for collection during a flyby, without the need for landing or complex sample handling operations such as scooping or drilling. An attractive approach to preserve the organics in particles collected during flyby encounters would be to utilize silica aerogel, the material used to collect particles at hypervelocity during the Stardust mission. Here we demonstrate amino acids can be extracted from aerogel simply by adding water. This simple liquid extraction method could be implemented during a mission prior to analysis with a liquid-based technique like capillary electrophoresis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria F Mora
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Steve M Jones
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Jessica Creamer
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Peter A Willis
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
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Gueriau P, Rueff JP, Bernard S, Kaddissy JA, Goler S, Sahle CJ, Sokaras D, Wogelius RA, Manning PL, Bergmann U, Bertrand L. Noninvasive Synchrotron-Based X-ray Raman Scattering Discriminates Carbonaceous Compounds in Ancient and Historical Materials. Anal Chem 2017; 89:10819-10826. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.7b02202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Gueriau
- IPANEMA, CNRS, Ministère
de la Culture, UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay, BP 48 Saint-Aubin, 91192 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- Synchrotron SOLEIL, BP 48 Saint-Aubin, 91192 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Jean-Pascal Rueff
- Synchrotron SOLEIL, BP 48 Saint-Aubin, 91192 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- Sorbonne Universités,
UPMC Université Paris 06, CNRS, UMR 7614, Laboratoire de Chimie
Physique-Matière et Rayonnement, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Sylvain Bernard
- IMPMC,
CNRS UMR
7590, Sorbonne Universités, MNHN, UPMC, IRD UMR 206, 61 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Josiane A. Kaddissy
- IPANEMA, CNRS, Ministère
de la Culture, UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay, BP 48 Saint-Aubin, 91192 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Sarah Goler
- Columbia
Nano Initiative, Columbia University, 530 West 120th Street, MC8903 1001
CEPSR, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Christoph J. Sahle
- ESRF-The European Synchrotron, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Dimosthenis Sokaras
- Stanford PULSE Institute, SLAC National Accelerator
Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, United States
| | - Roy A. Wogelius
- University of Manchester, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Williamson Research Centre for Molecular Environmental Science & Interdisciplinary Centre for Ancient Life, Manchester M139PL, U.K
| | - Phillip L. Manning
- Department
of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, College of Charleston, 66 George Street, Charleston, South Carolina 29424, United States
- Department
of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Oxford
Road, Manchester, M139PL, U.K
| | - Uwe Bergmann
- Stanford PULSE Institute, SLAC National Accelerator
Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, United States
| | - Loïc Bertrand
- IPANEMA, CNRS, Ministère
de la Culture, UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay, BP 48 Saint-Aubin, 91192 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- Synchrotron SOLEIL, BP 48 Saint-Aubin, 91192 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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40
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Kundu S, Prabhudesai VS, Krishnakumar E. Electron induced reactions in condensed mixtures of methane and ammonia. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2017; 19:25723-25733. [PMID: 28913527 DOI: 10.1039/c7cp04490a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
We demonstrate the efficient formation of carbon-nitrogen bonds starting from CH4 and NH3 on a metal surface at cryogenic temperatures. Electrons in the energy range of 1-90 eV are used to initiate chemical reactions in mixed molecular films of CH4 and NH3 at ∼15 K, and the products are detected by performing temperature programmed desorption (TPD). Extensive dehydrogenation occurs at all energies giving the products CH2NH and HCN in preference to CH3NH2. This is likely to do with the energetics of the reactions and the subsequent stability of these species in the condensed film. Thermal processing of the irradiated mixture favours dehydrogenation as indicated by the results of using different desorption rates. Electron impact excitation and subsequent dissociation into radicals is the reaction-initiating step rather than ionization of CH4 and NH3, as inferred from the yield of products as a function of electron energy. This could give insight into the important catalytic process of the industrial scale synthesis of HCN from CH4 and NH3 over Pt. This may also be a relevant pathway in the astrochemical environment where CN and HCN are abundant and low-energy electrons are found ubiquitously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sramana Kundu
- Department of Nuclear and Atomic Physics, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, 1 Homi Bhabha Road, Colaba, Mumbai-400005, India.
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41
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Tachibana S, Kouchi A, Hama T, Oba Y, Piani L, Sugawara I, Endo Y, Hidaka H, Kimura Y, Murata KI, Yurimoto H, Watanabe N. Liquid-like behavior of UV-irradiated interstellar ice analog at low temperatures. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2017; 3:eaao2538. [PMID: 28975154 PMCID: PMC5621975 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aao2538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2017] [Accepted: 09/07/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Interstellar ice is believed to be a cradle of complex organic compounds, commonly found within icy comets and interstellar clouds, in association with ultraviolet (UV) irradiation and subsequent warming. We found that UV-irradiated amorphous ices composed of H2O, CH3OH, and NH3 and of pure H2O behave like liquids over the temperature ranges of 65 to 150 kelvin and 50 to 140 kelvin, respectively. This low-viscosity liquid-like ice may enhance the formation of organic compounds including prebiotic molecules and the accretion of icy dust to form icy planetesimals under certain interstellar conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shogo Tachibana
- Department of Natural History Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan
| | - Akira Kouchi
- Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0819, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Hama
- Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0819, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Oba
- Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0819, Japan
| | - Laurette Piani
- Department of Natural History Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan
| | - Iyo Sugawara
- Department of Natural History Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan
| | - Yukiko Endo
- Department of Natural History Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Hidaka
- Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0819, Japan
| | - Yuki Kimura
- Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0819, Japan
| | - Ken-ichiro Murata
- Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0819, Japan
| | - Hisayoshi Yurimoto
- Department of Natural History Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan
- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5210, Japan
| | - Naoki Watanabe
- Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0819, Japan
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Keane TC. Mechanism for the Coupled Photochemistry of Ammonia and Acetylene: Implications for Giant Planets, Comets and Interstellar Organic Synthesis. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2017; 47:223-248. [PMID: 28791552 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-017-9545-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Laboratory studies provide a fundamental understanding of photochemical processes in planetary atmospheres. Photochemical reactions taking place on giant planets like Jupiter and possibly comets and the interstellar medium are the subject of this research. Reaction pathways are proposed for the coupled photochemistry of NH3 (ammonia) and C2H2 (acetylene) within the context Jupiter's atmosphere. We then extend the discussion to the Great Red Spot, Extra-Solar Giant Planets, Comets and Interstellar Organic Synthesis. Reaction rates in the form of quantum yields were measured for the decomposition of reactants and the formation of products and stable intermediates: HCN (hydrogen cyanide), CH3CN (acetonitrile), CH3CH = N-N = CHCH3 (acetaldazine), CH3CH = N-NH2 (acetaldehyde hydrazone), C2H5NH2 (ethylamine), CH3NH2 (methylamine) and C2H4 (ethene) in the photolysis of NH3/C2H2 mixtures. Some of these compounds, formed in our investigation of pathways for HCN synthesis, were not encountered previously in observational, theoretical or laboratory photochemical studies. The quantum yields obtained allowed for the formulation of a reaction mechanism that attempts to explain the observed results under varying experimental conditions. In general, the results of this work are consistent with the initial observations of Ferris and Ishikawa (1988). However, their proposed reaction pathway which centers on the photolysis of CH3CH = N-N = CHCH3 does not explain all of the results obtained in this study. The formation of CH3CH = N-N = CHCH3 by a radical combination reaction of CH3CH = N• was shown in this work to be inconsistent with other experiments where the CH3CH = N• radical is thought to form but where no CH3CH = N-N = CHCH3 was detected. The importance of the role of H atom abstraction reactions was demonstrated and an alternative pathway for CH3CH = N-N = CHCH3 formation involving nucleophilic reaction between N2H4 and CH3CH = NH is advanced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas C Keane
- Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Studies and Emerging Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Russell Sage College, Troy, NY, 12180, USA.
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Formation of Methylamine and Ethylamine in Extraterrestrial Ices and Their Role as Fundamental Building Blocks of Proteinogenicα-amino Acids. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017. [DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/aa7edd] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Wooden DH, Ishii HA, Zolensky ME. Cometary dust: the diversity of primitive refractory grains. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. SERIES A, MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 2017; 375:20160260. [PMID: 28554979 PMCID: PMC5454228 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2016.0260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/13/2017] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Comet dust is primitive and shows significant diversity. Our knowledge of the properties of primitive cometary particles has expanded significantly through microscale investigations of cosmic dust samples (anhydrous interplanetary dust particles (IDPs), chondritic porous (CP) IDPs and UltraCarbonaceous Antarctic micrometeorites, Stardust and Rosetta), as well as through remote sensing (Spitzer IR spectroscopy). Comet dust are aggregate particles of materials unequilibrated at submicrometre scales. We discuss the properties and processes experienced by primitive matter in comets. Primitive particles exhibit a diverse range of: structure and typology; distribution of constituents; concentration and form of carbonaceous and refractory organic matter; Mg- and Fe-contents of the silicate minerals; sulfides; existence/abundance of type II chondrule fragments; high-temperature calcium-aluminium inclusions and ameboid-olivine aggregates; and rarely occurring Mg-carbonates and magnetite, whose explanation requires aqueous alteration on parent bodies. The properties of refractory materials imply there were disc processes that resulted in different comets having particular selections of primitive materials. The diversity of primitive particles has implications for the diversity of materials in the protoplanetary disc present at the time and in the region where the comets formed.This article is part of the themed issue 'Cometary science after Rosetta'.
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Affiliation(s)
- D H Wooden
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035-0001, USA
| | - H A Ishii
- University of Hawaii, Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
| | - M E Zolensky
- NASA Johnson Space Center, ARES, X12 2010 NASA Parkway, Houston, TX 77058-3607, USA
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Sabbah H, Bonnamy A, Papanastasiou D, Cernicharo J, Martín-Gago JA, Joblin C. Identification of PAH Isomeric Structure in Cosmic Dust Analogues: the AROMA setup. THE ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL 2017; 843:34. [PMID: 28835724 PMCID: PMC5564497 DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/aa73dd] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
We developed a new analytical experimental setup called AROMA (Astrochemistry Research of Organics with Molecular Analyzer) that combines laser desorption/ionization techniques with ion trap mass spectrometry. We report here on the ability of the apparatus to detect aromatic species in complex materials of astrophysical interests and characterize their structures. A limit of detection of 100 femto-grams has been achieved using pure polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) samples, which corresponds to 2x108 molecules in the case of coronene (C24H12). We detected the PAH distribution in the Murchison meteorite, which is made of a complex mixture of extraterrestrial organic compounds. In addition, collision induced dissociation experiments were performed on selected species detected in Murchison, which led to the first firm identification of pyrene and its methylated derivatives in this sample.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hassan Sabbah
- Université de Toulouse, UPS-OMP, Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, 9 avenue du Colonel Roche, 31028 Toulouse Cedex 4 (France)
- CNRS, IRAP, 9 avenue du Colonel Roche, 31028 Toulouse Cedex 4 (France)
- CNRS, LCAR, IRSAMC, 118 route de Narbonne, 31013 Toulouse Cedex 6, (France)
| | - Anthony Bonnamy
- Université de Toulouse, UPS-OMP, Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, 9 avenue du Colonel Roche, 31028 Toulouse Cedex 4 (France)
- CNRS, IRAP, 9 avenue du Colonel Roche, 31028 Toulouse Cedex 4 (France)
| | | | - Jose Cernicharo
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, 3, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Jose-Angel Martín-Gago
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, 3, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Christine Joblin
- Université de Toulouse, UPS-OMP, Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, 9 avenue du Colonel Roche, 31028 Toulouse Cedex 4 (France)
- CNRS, IRAP, 9 avenue du Colonel Roche, 31028 Toulouse Cedex 4 (France)
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Yesiltas M, Sedlmair J, Peale RE, Hirschmugl CJ. Synchrotron-Based Three-Dimensional Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectro-Microtomography of Murchison Meteorite Grain. APPLIED SPECTROSCOPY 2017; 71:1198-1208. [PMID: 27703050 DOI: 10.1177/0003702816671072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrate nondestructive, three-dimensional, microscopic, infrared (IR) spectral in-situ imaging of an extraterrestrial sample. Spatially resolved chemical composition and spatial correlations are investigated within a single 45 µm grain of the Murchison meteorite. Qualitative and quantitative investigation through this analytical technique can help elucidate the origin and evolution of meteoritic compounds as well as parent body processes without damaging or altering the investigated samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehmet Yesiltas
- 1 Department of Physics, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
- 2 Department of Geosciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Julia Sedlmair
- 3 Forest Products Laboratory, US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- 4 Bruker AXS, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Robert E Peale
- 1 Department of Physics, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
| | - Carol J Hirschmugl
- 5 Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
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Defouilloy C, Nakashima D, Joswiak DJ, Brownlee DE, Tenner TJ, Kita NT. Origin of crystalline silicates from Comet 81P/Wild 2: Combined study on their oxygen isotopes and mineral chemistry. EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS 2017; 465:145-154. [PMID: 30705461 PMCID: PMC6350803 DOI: 10.1016/j.epsl.2017.02.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
In order to explore the link between comet 81P/Wild 2 and materials in primitive meteorites, seven particles 5 to 15 μm in diameter from comet 81P/Wild 2 have been analyzed for their oxygen isotope ratios using a secondary ion mass spectrometer. Most particles are single minerals consisting of olivine or pyroxene with Mg# higher than 85, which are relatively minor in 81P/Wild 2 particles (~1/3 of the 16O-poor cluster). Four particles extracted from Track 149 are 16O-poor and show Δ17O (= δ17O - 0.52 × δ18O) values from -2%0 to +1%0, similar to previous studies, while one enstatite (En99) particle shows lower Δ17O value of -7±4%o (2σ). This compositional range has not been reported among 16O-poor particles in 81P/Wild 2, but is commonly observed among chondrules in carbonaceous chondrites and in particular in CR chondrites. The distribution in Δ17O indicates that 16O-poor 81P/Wild 2 particles are most similar to chondrules (and their fragments) in the CR chondrites and Tagish Lake-like WIS91600 chondrite chondrule silicate grains, which indicates that they likely come from a reservoir with similar dust/ice ratios as CR chondrites and WIS91600. However, differences in the Mg# distribution imply that the 81P/Wild 2 reservoir was comparatively more oxidized, with a higher dust enrichment. Two nearly pure enstatite grains from track 172 are significantly enriched in 16O, with δ18O values of -51.2 ± 1.5%0 (2σ) and -43.0 ± 1.3% (2σ), respectively, and Δ17O values of -22.3 ± 1.9% (2σ) and -21.3 ± 2.3%0 (2σ), respectively. They are the first 16O-rich pyroxenes found among 81P/Wild 2 particles, with similar Δ17O values to those of 16O-rich low-iron, manganese-enriched (LIME) olivine and CAI (calcium and aluminum-rich inclusions) -like particles from 81P/Wild 2. The major element and oxygen isotopic compositions of the pyroxenes are similar to those of enstatite in amoeboid olivine aggregates (AOAs) in primitive chondrites, in which 16O-rich pyroxenes have previously been found, and thus suggest a condensation origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Céline Defouilloy
- WiscSIMS, Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Daisuke Nakashima
- Division of Earth and Planetary Materials Science, Tohoku University, Miyagi 980-8578, Japan
| | - David J. Joswiak
- Department of Astronomy, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Donald E. Brownlee
- Department of Astronomy, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Travis J. Tenner
- WiscSIMS, Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Noriko T. Kita
- WiscSIMS, Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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Alexander CMO, Cody GD, De Gregorio BT, Nittler LR, Stroud RM. The nature, origin and modification of insoluble organic matter in chondrites, the possibly interstellar source of Earth's C and N. CHEMIE DER ERDE : BEITRAGE ZUR CHEMISCHEN MINERALOGIE, PETROGRAPHIE UND GEOLOGIE 2017; 77:227-256. [PMID: 31007270 PMCID: PMC6469876 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemer.2017.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
All chondrites accreted ~3.5 wt.% C in their matrices, the bulk of which was in a macromolecular solvent and acid insoluble organic material (IOM). Similar material to IOM is found in interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) and comets. The IOM accounts for almost all of the C and N in chondrites, and a significant fraction of the H. Chondrites and, to a lesser extent, comets were probably the major sources of volatiles for the Earth and the other terrestrial planets. Hence, IOM was both the major source of Earth's volatiles and a potential source of complex prebiotic molecules. Large enrichments in D and 15N, relative to the bulk solar isotopic compositions, suggest that IOM or its precursors formed in very cold, radiation-rich environments. Whether these environments were in the interstellar medium (ISM) or the outer Solar System is unresolved. Nevertheless, the elemental and isotopic compositions and functional group chemistry of IOM provide important clues to the origin(s) of organic matter in protoplanetary disks. IOM is modified relatively easily by thermal and aqueous processes, so that it can also be used to constrain the conditions in the solar nebula prior to chondrite accretion and the conditions in the chondrite parent bodies after accretion. Here we review what is known about the abundances, compositions and physical nature of IOM in the most primitive chondrites. We also discuss how the IOM has been modified by thermal metamorphism and aqueous alteration in the chondrite parent bodies, and how these changes may be used both as petrologic indicators of the intensity of parent body processing and as tools for classification. Finally, we critically assess the various proposed mechanisms for the formation of IOM in the ISM or Solar System.
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Affiliation(s)
- C M O'D Alexander
- Dept. Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5241 Broad Branch Road, Washington, DC 20015, USA
| | - G D Cody
- Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5251 Broad Branch Road, Washington, DC 20015, USA
| | - B T De Gregorio
- Dept. Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5241 Broad Branch Road, Washington, DC 20015, USA
| | - L R Nittler
- Dept. Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5241 Broad Branch Road, Washington, DC 20015, USA
| | - R M Stroud
- Materials Science and Technology Division, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC, USA
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Aponte JC, Elsila JE, Glavin DP, Milam SN, Charnley SB, Dworkin JP. Pathways to Meteoritic Glycine and Methylamine. ACS EARTH & SPACE CHEMISTRY 2017; 1:3-13. [PMID: 32500112 PMCID: PMC7271971 DOI: 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.6b00014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Glycine and methylamine are meteoritic water-soluble organic compounds that provide insights into the processes that occurred before, during, and after the formation of the Solar System. Both glycine and methylamine and many of their potential synthetic precursors have been studied in astrophysical environments via observations, laboratory experiments, and modeling. In spite of these studies, the synthetic mechanisms for their formation leading to their occurrence in meteorites remain poorly understood. Typical 13C-isotopic values (δ13C) of meteoritic glycine and methylamine are 13C-enriched relative to their terrestrial counterparts; thus, analyses of their stable carbon isotopic compositions (13C/12C) may be used not only to assess terrestrial contamination in meteorites, but also to provide information about their synthetic routes inside the parent body. Here, we examine potential synthetic routes of glycine and methylamine from a common set of precursors present in carbonaceous chondrite meteorites, using data from laboratory analyses of the well-studied CM2 meteorite Murchison. Several synthetic mechanisms for the origins of glycine and methylamine found in carbonaceous chondrites may be possible, and the prevalence of these mechanisms will largely depend on (a) the molecular abundance of the precursor molecules and (b) the levels of processing (aqueous and thermal) that occurred inside the parent body. In this work, we also aim to contextualize the current knowledge about gas-phase reactions and irradiated ice grain chemistry for the synthesis of these species through parent body processes. Our evaluation of various mechanisms for the origins of meteoritic glycine and methylamine from simple species shows what work is still needed to evaluate both, the abundances and isotopic compositions of simpler precursor molecules from carbonaceous chondrites, as well as the effects of parent body processes on those abundances and isotopic compositions. The analyses presented here combined with the indicated measurements will aid a better interpretation of quantitative analysis of reaction rates, molecular stability, and distribution of organic products from laboratory simulations of interstellar ices, astronomical observations, and theoretical modeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- José C. Aponte
- The Goddard Center for Astrobiology and Solar System Exploration Division, Code 691, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 20064, USA
| | - Jamie E. Elsila
- The Goddard Center for Astrobiology and Solar System Exploration Division, Code 691, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - Daniel P. Glavin
- The Goddard Center for Astrobiology and Solar System Exploration Division, Code 691, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - Stefanie N. Milam
- The Goddard Center for Astrobiology and Solar System Exploration Division, Code 691, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - Steven B. Charnley
- The Goddard Center for Astrobiology and Solar System Exploration Division, Code 691, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - Jason P. Dworkin
- The Goddard Center for Astrobiology and Solar System Exploration Division, Code 691, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
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50
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Attah IK, Soliman AR, Platt SP, Meot-Ner (Mautner) M, Aziz SG, Samy El-Shall M. Observation of covalent and electrostatic bonds in nitrogen-containing polycyclic ions formed by gas phase reactions of the benzene radical cation with pyrimidine. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2017; 19:6422-6432. [DOI: 10.1039/c6cp08731k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
This work reports a new formation mechanism for the nitrogen-containing polycyclic ions in the gas phase.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sean P. Platt
- Department of Chemistry
- Virginia Commonwealth University
- Richmond
- USA
| | | | | | - M. Samy El-Shall
- Department of Chemistry
- Virginia Commonwealth University
- Richmond
- USA
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