Primitive carbonaceous chondrites exhibit an unparalleled diversity in terms of their organic content, in addition to a variable degree of hydrothermal alteration. Whether this diversity results from the circulation of fluids or from a multiplicity of precursors remains an open question of prime interest to understand the formation of carbonaceous asteroids. We applied laser desorption ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (LDI-FTICR-MS) on the macromolecular carbon of recent CM carbonaceous chondrite falls, as well as Orgueil (CI) and Tarda (C2). We probed the diversity of molecular fragments released under low power laser beam. The abundance of the chemical families is correlated to the extent of aqueous alteration, which promotes a structural aromatisation. The weakly altered Paris has retained the largest chemical heterogeneity, whilst it is lost in more altered chondrites. Orgueil and Tarda insoluble organic matter share similarities; this is consistent with Tarda and Orgueil originating from the outer belt region. Applied to returned asteroidal samples, FTICR-MS may help unravelling the origin and evolution of organic compounds during the early stages of the solar system.
Mighei-type carbonaceous chondrites (CM) figure among the most primitive objects in the solar system. Yet, they all have experienced various degrees of aqueous alteration having modified their insoluble organic matter (IOM), in a sequence that remains to be accurately constrained. Here, we exposed the IOM of Paris, the least altered CM available, to hydrothermal conditions at 150 °C for 49 days and compared the experimental residue to the IOM of two altered CMs likely originating from the same parent body as Paris, namely Aguas Zarcas and Mukundpura. The experimental residue shows a chemical and isotopic composition similar to those of Aguas Zarcas and Mukundpura IOMs, confirming that these CMs can be seen as altered counterparts of Paris. The abundance of organic radicals also increases significantly during the experiment. Isotopic hotspots do not seem to have been lost during the experiment, suggesting that the hotspots generally observed within the CM IOMs may date back from pre-accretion era. Of note, the Raman signature of the residue differs from that of the CM IOMs, highlighting the need for further experiments better mimicking asteroidal-like conditions.
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