High Energy Radical Chemistry Formation of HCN-rich Atmospheres on early Earth

Ferus, Martin; Kubelík, Petr; Knížek, Antonín; Pastorek, Adam; Sutherland, John D.; Civiš, Svatopluk

doi:10.1038/s41598-017-06489-1

Cited by 81 publications

(84 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…The analysis of trace elements in a statistically significant number of ancient zircons shows a decreasing trend of the oxygen fugacity more than 3.6 Gyr ago, suggesting therefore that early conditions were reducing (Yang et al 2014). This discovery is consistent with a scenario proposing terrestrial synthesis of biomolecules under reducing conditions created by specific substances possibly delivered by impacts of extraterrestrial bodies rich in refractory carbonaceous material (Yang et al 2014;Hashimoto et al 2007;Ferus et al 2017a). Besides, explorations on impact degassing show that Earth's early atmosphere was indeed very reducing, rich in H 2 and/or CH 4 , regardless of which meteoritic materials accreted independently of the chemical reactions controlling the molecular abundances of the atmosphere (Kuwahara & Sugita 2015;.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 78%

“…The last decade has witnessed the effort made in elucidating the relevance of two parent compounds that have become crucial in the search for the origin of biologically relevant molecules in one-pot synthesis: hydrogen cyanide (HCN; Ferus et al 2017a;Xu et al 2017;Civis et al 2017;Sutherland 2016Sutherland , 2017 and its hydration product, formamide (HCONH 2 ; Ferus et al 2015bFerus et al , 2017bRotelli et al 2016;Saladino et al 2012aSaladino et al ,b, 2015Saladino et al , 2016. The main sources of HCN are ascribed to the reprocessing of atmospheres degassed from impacting interplanetary matter (Kuwahara & Sugita 2015;Zahnle et al 2010) by electric discharges, impact plasma (Ferus et al 2017a), orsince young protostellar objects are rich in cyano-compounds (Oberg et al 2015;Al-Edhari et al 2017;Oberg 2016)also by direct exogenous delivery of complex and volatile cyanides. Instead, formamide has been inter alia identified in the interstellar environment (Adande et al 2013;Raunier et al 2004) including well-known objects, such as the young solartype protostar IRAS 16293-2422 (Kahane et al 2013) and the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (Goesmann et al 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prebiotic synthesis initiated in formaldehyde by laser plasma simulating high-velocity impacts

Ferus

Pietrucci

Saitta

et al. 2019

A&A

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Context. It is well known that hydrogen cyanide and formamide can universally be considered as key molecules in prebiotic synthesis. Despite the fact that formamide has been detected in interplanetary and interstellar environments, other prebiotic species are far more abundant, including, for example, formaldehyde. However, several results indicate that formamide can play the role of important intermediate as well as that of a feedstock molecule in chemical abiogenesis. Diverse recently proposed scenarios of the origins of the first biopolymers show that liquid formamide environments could have been crucial for the formation of nucleobases, nucleosides, and for phosphorylation reactions, which lead to nucleotides. Aims. Here we report on a wide exploration of the formaldehyde reaction network under plasma conditions mimicking an asteroid descent in an Earth-like atmosphere and its impact. Methods. Dielectric breakdown using a high-power kJ-class laser system (PALS – Prague Asterix Laser System) along with quantum mechanical, ab initio molecular dynamics, and enhanced sampling simulations have been employed in order to mimic an asteroid impact plasma. Results. Being more abundant than formamide both in interstellar and interplanetary environments, during the era of early and late heavy bombardment of Earth and other planets, formaldehyde might have been delivered on asteroids to young planets. In the presence of nitrogen-bearing species, this molecule has been reprocessed under plasma conditions mimicking the local environment of an impacting body. We show that plasma reprocessing of formaldehyde leads to the formation of several radical and molecular species along with formamide. Conclusion. All the canonical nucleobases, the simplest amino acid (i.e., glycine), and the sugar ribose, have been detected after treatment of formaldehyde and nitrogen gas with dielectric breakdown. Our results, supported by quantum mechanical and enhanced sampling simulations, show that formaldehyde – by producing inter alia formamide – may have had the role of starting substance in prebiotic synthesis.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prebiotic synthesis initiated in formaldehyde by laser plasma simulating high-velocity impacts

Ferus

Pietrucci

Saitta

et al. 2019

A&A

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“…HCN can be produced photochemically (Zahnle, 1986;Tian et al, 2011), by interaction of the atmospheric gas with energetic particles (Airapetian et al, 2016), by lightning (Chameides and Walker, 1981;Ardaseva et al, 2017), and by meteor impacts (Ferus et al, 2017). In each of these scenarios, the authors have recognized that reduced carbon-bearing species greatly facilitate the production of hydrogen cyanide.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrogen cyanide in nitrogen-rich atmospheres of rocky exoplanets

Rimmer

Rugheimer

2019

Icarus

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Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is a key feedstock molecule for the production of life's building blocks. The formation of HCN in an N 2 -rich atmospheres requires first that the triple bond between N≡N be severed, and then that the atomic nitrogen find a carbon atom. These two tasks can be accomplished via photochemistry, lightning, impacts, or volcanism. The key requirements for producing appreciable amounts of HCN are the free availability of N 2 and a local carbon to oxygen ratio of C/O ≥ 1. We discuss the chemical mechanisms by which HCN can be formed and destroyed on rocky exoplanets with Earth-like N 2 content and surface water inventories, varying the oxidation state of the dominant carbon-containing atmospheric species. HCN is most readily produced in an atmosphere rich in methane (CH 4 ) or acetylene (C 2 H 2 ), but can also be produced in significant amounts (> 1 ppm) within CO-dominated atmospheres. Methane is not necessary for the production of HCN. We show how destruction of HCN in a CO 2 -rich atmosphere depends critically on the poorly-constrained energetic barrier for the reaction of HCN with atomic oxygen. We discuss the implications of our results for detecting photochemically produced HCN, for concentrating HCN on the planet's surface, and its importance for prebiotic chemistry.

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“…In the past two decades, our team demonstrated several experiments that mostly focused on the chemical transformations of the atmosphere or on the interaction with solid or liquid surfaces (Babánková et al 2006a). Most studies have been focused on impact-induced synthesis of biomolecules (Šponer et al 2016;Ferus et al 2017b) such as canonical nucleobases in Ferus et al (2012Ferus et al ( , 2014aFerus et al ( ,b, 2015Ferus et al ( , 2017b, sugars in Civiš et al (2016a), and aminoacids in Civiš et al (2004), or the transformation of atmospheric molecules on early terrestrial planets (Civiš et al 2008) such as the formation or decay of prebiotic substances, for instance, formamide (Ferus et al 2011), isocyanic acid (Ferus et al 2018a), and the transformations of hydrogen cyanide (Ferus et al 2017c), acetylene (Civiš et al 2016b), methane (Civiš et al 2017), or carbon monoxide (Civiš et al 2008;Ferus et al 2009). Pyrometric measurement of dielectric breakdown induced by high-power terawatt-class lasers in the gas phase has shown that airglow temperatures of 4500 K (Babánková et al 2006b) are very close to the low-temperature component in meteor spectra that exhibits 3800-6000 K independent of the mass of the impacting body or its velocity (specifically in the ranges of 35 and 72 km s −1 and masses between 1025 g and 1 g, according to Jenniskens et al 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Main spectral features of meteors studied using a terawatt-class high-power laser

Ferus

Kubelík

Petera

et al. 2019

A&A

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Context. Meteor spectra are commonly interpreted using data from databases and tables. Several studies have demonstrated very sophisticated calculations of elemental compositions of meteoroid bodies based on the computation of synthetic meteor spectra or on the spectral analysis of airglow plasma containing evaporated, atomized, and ionized meteoroid matter. However, considering accuracy, reliability of computations, lack of laboratory experimental data in this field, as well as the complicated physical structure of meteor plasma, such qualitative assignment or quantitative calculations are still extensively discussed in the scientific community. Even on the laboratory level, many studies have shown the high complexity of the acquisition and interpretation of the data that are recorded with techniques of emission spectroscopy that are in fashion and philosophy similar to the spectral analysis of meteor plasma, that is, detection and quantification of the elements that are ablated from complicated multicomponent matrices. Aims. The current study is focused on the application of terawatt-class laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (TC-LIBS) of real samples of chondritic meteorites. We recorded emission spectra with high resolution and high precision that contain spectral lines that are typical for real meteoric spectra. Experimental data were compiled in a form that is convenient for the meteoric spectra interpretation and calibration. Methods. TC-LIBS was carried out by a high-power terawatt-class laser facility, the Prague Asterix Laser System (PALS). The spectra were simultaneously recorded by an echelle high-resolution spectrograph in the UV/VIS spectral ranges and by a low-resolution spectrograph that was used for real observation of meteor spectra. We also present calculated synthetic spectra based on data from the NIST atomic spectra database. Results. We assembled etalon qualitative tables of major meteoric spectral features that can be used both for the spectral wavelength calibration of low-resolution observational instruments and for the exact interpretation of meteor spectra. The data are compared with real meteor spectra.

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High Energy Radical Chemistry Formation of HCN-rich Atmospheres on early Earth

Cited by 81 publications

References 55 publications

Prebiotic synthesis initiated in formaldehyde by laser plasma simulating high-velocity impacts

Prebiotic synthesis initiated in formaldehyde by laser plasma simulating high-velocity impacts

Hydrogen cyanide in nitrogen-rich atmospheres of rocky exoplanets

Main spectral features of meteors studied using a terawatt-class high-power laser

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