Excess of l-alanine in amino acids synthesized in a plasma torch generated by a hypervelocity meteorite impact reproduced in the laboratory

Abstract

We present a laboratory reproduction of hypervelocity impacts of a carbon containing meteorite on a mineral substance representative of planetary surfaces. The physical conditions of the resulting impact plasma torch provide favourable conditions for abiogenic synthesis of protein amino acids: We identified glycine and alanine, and in smaller quantities serine, in the produced material. Moreover, we observe breaking of alanine mirror symmetry with L excess, which coincides with the bioorganic world. Therefore the selection of L-amino acids for the formation of proteins for living matter could have been the result from plasma processes occurring during the impact meteorites on the surface. This indicates that the plasma torch from meteorite impacts could play an important role in the formation of biomolecular homochirality. Thus, meteorite impacts possibly were the initial stage of this process and promoted conditions for the emergence of a living matter.

Сhiral and Racemic Fields Concept for Understanding of the Homochirality Origin, Asymmetric Catalysis, Chiral Superstructure Formation from Achiral Molecules, and B-Z DNA Conformational Transition

“…Examples of self-assembly of one-dimensional Fe3O4 nanocube belts seen in Figure 27. As can be seen, symmetry (C 2 , C 4 ) of corresponding chiral superstructures coincides with symmetry of the underlying achiral molecules (46,45,48). Crown-shaped molecule 49 with 12 peripheral alkyl chains (C 3 ) form single columns with 12-fold triple helices (C 3 ) ( Figure 24) [186,187].…”

“…Davankov [40] suggested chirality to be an indispensable feature of different levels of matter. While evolving this idea, we [39] considered a possibility of chiral effects of various physical phenomena on chemical reactions (electric field [41], electric field (propeller effect) [42], a combination of electric and magnetic fields [4,43], magnetic field [4,39,44], circularly polarized light [45], plasma torch of meteorite impact [46,47], solar irradiation [48,49], parity violation energy difference [29], and similar effects [39]). Gravity is among such physical phenomena as asymmetric factors [39].…”

Biological Homochirality on the Earth, or in the Universe? A Selective Review

“…The main idea of the designed experiment consists in creating of a plasma torch reactor by a super-high-velocity impact of a projectile against a suitable target. Both of them must contain elements required for the formation of amino acids [51]. The dissipating and cooling-down plasma was expected to act as a reactor for the self-assembling of ions, radicals, and atoms, all of them being inherently homochiral, into enantiomerically enriched organic molecules.…”

“…A large international team of scientists [51] started experiments with high purity 13 C carbon black that was converted, via the action of high temperatures and high pressure, into diamond particles of about 1.5-2.5 mm in size. The latter served as projectiles for a super-high-velocity impact experiment and were expected to completely vaporize and label the plasma synthesis products with high concentration of the rare 13 C carbon isotope.…”

“…Notably, glycine peaks dominate over those of alanine (by 4.75 times) and serine, which is not characteristic of bioproteins. Source: Reference[51].Symmetry 2018, 10, 749 10 of The amino acid-corresponding section of the MALDI mass spectra of impact products. The high content of 13 C isotope is evident.…”