Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in carbonaceous chondrites can be used as tracers of both pre-accretion and secondary processes

Lecasble, Marceau; Rémusat, Laurent; Viennet, Jean‐Christophe; Laurent, Boris; Bernard, Sylvain

doi:10.1016/j.gca.2022.08.039

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 143 publications

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“…Differences in parent body accretion (i.e., time and location) and processing (aqueous and/or thermal), as well as potential contamination in the case of Sutter's Mill, may all have played a role. However, our isotopic results agree with the lower 13 C values found in more condensed PAHs, relative to simpler aromatic species in carbonaceous chondrites (Gilmour & Pillinger, 1994;Huang et al, 2015;Lecasble et al, 2022;Naraoka et al, 2000), and hydropyrolysis analysis of IOM from the Murchison meteorite (Sephton et al, 2005). This observation suggests that the synthesis of higher molecular weight PAHs in these carbonaceous chondrites did not occur under thermodynamic equilibrium, but rather from the addition of smaller 12 C-rich species through kinetic control in cold environments such as the interstellar media or the asteroid parent body.…”

Section: Molecular Diversity Of Meteoritic Vocs In Murchison and Sutt...supporting

confidence: 87%

“…Our results, however, align with the predominance of naphthalene observed by flash pyrolysis of IOM in CM chondrites (e.g., Remusat et al., 2005; Shimoyama, 1997). Given the presence of alkylbenzenes and naphthalene, we expected to detect other aromatic VOCs such as biphenyl and methyl‐naphthalenes that have been previously found in Murchison (e.g., Lecasble et al., 2022; Naraoka et al., 2000). The absence of alkylnaphthalene detection in our study may be due to low abundances; however, it may be related to the lack of thermal metamorphosis during sample disaggregation, which in theory could have inhibited the formation of these species from the decomposition of IOM or the reaction of naphthalene with methane or other aliphatic species in the sample.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Molecular distribution and ¹³C isotope composition of volatile organic compounds in the Murchison and Sutter's Mill carbonaceous chondrites

Aponte,

Séguin,

Siguelnitzky

et al. 2024

Meteorit & Planetary Scien

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Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are carbon‐containing chemicals that may evaporate rapidly at room temperature and standard pressure. Such organic compounds can be preserved inside carbonaceous chondrite matrices. However, unlike meteoritic soluble organic matter (SOM) and insoluble organic matter (IOM), VOCs are typically lost (at least in part) during sample processing (meteorite crushing) and exposure to terrestrial atmosphere and/or solvents. Like SOM and IOM, VOCs can provide valuable insights into the chemical inventory of the meteorite parent body and even the presolar cloud from which our solar system formed, as well as the composition and processes that occurred during the early formation of our solar system and the asteroidal stage. Thus, in this work, we designed and built an instrument that allowed us to access the VOCs present in samples of the carbonaceous chondrites Murchison and Sutter's Mill after mineral disaggregation by means of freeze–thaw cycling. We simultaneously evaluated the abundances and compound‐specific 13C‐distributions of the volatiles evolving after meteorite powdering at ~20, 60, and 100°C. Carbon monoxide (CO) and methane (CH4) were released from these meteorites as the most abundant VOCs. They were combusted together for analysis and showed positive δ13C values, indicative of their extraterrestrial origins. Carbon dioxide (CO2) was also an abundant VOC in both meteorites, and its isotopic values suggest that it was mainly formed from dissolved carbonates in the samples. We also detected aldehydes, ketones, and aromatic compounds in low amounts. Contrary to Murchison, which mostly yielded VOCs with positive δ13C values, Sutter's Mill yielded VOCs with negative δ13C values. The less enriched 13C isotope composition of the VOCs detected in Sutter's Mill suggest that they are either terrestrial contaminants, such as VOCs in compressed gas dusters and common laboratory solvents, or compounds disconnected from interstellar sources and/or formed through parent body processing. Understanding the relative abundances and determining the molecular distributions and isotopic compositions of free meteoritic VOCs are key in assessing their extraterrestrial origins and those of chondritic SOM and IOM. Our newly developed technique will be valuable in the study of the samples brought to the Earth from carbonaceous asteroid Bennu by NASA's OSIRIS‐REx mission.

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Section: Molecular Diversity Of Meteoritic Vocs In Murchison and Sutt...supporting

confidence: 87%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Molecular distribution and ¹³C isotope composition of volatile organic compounds in the Murchison and Sutter's Mill carbonaceous chondrites

Aponte,

Séguin,

Siguelnitzky

et al. 2024

Meteorit & Planetary Scien

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“…Additionally, carbonaceous chondrites provide information on the organic content of asteroids, with up to 5% of their weight being organic matter divided into insoluble and soluble fractions. Both fractions present an important molecular diversity. , The insoluble fraction may consist of hydrophobic macromolecules interacting with smaller hydrophobic molecules, while the soluble fraction presents the highest molecular diversity, containing polyaromatic hydrocarbons, sugars, nucleobases as well as amino acids. − Some of these amino acids have been detected with slight enantiomeric excesses, which could provide a possible scenario for the emergence of homochirality on earth. These meteoritic amino acids may also serve as markers of chemical evolution of parent bodies, , as different chemical reactions can lead to their formation depending on their configuration, precursors, and/or environment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular Diversity and Amino Acid Evolution in Simulated Carbonaceous Chondrite Parent Bodies

Garcia,

Yan,

Meinert

et al. 2024

ACS Earth Space Chem.

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In interplanetary bodies, organics are found originating from various environments. We replicate the solid-phase conditions in a laboratory to elucidate the step-by-step evolution of organic matter, spanning from dense molecular cloud ices to processes occurring within meteorite parent bodies. The focus of our work is on amino acids, considered as potential chemical tracers of secondary alteration on asteroids. Using gas chromatography and high-resolution mass spectrometry, trace amounts of amino acids are identified in a preaccretional organic analogue formed from a dense molecular ice analogue. This analogue was subsequently exposed to aqueous alteration. This induced an increase in the formation of αand βamino acids over time. Supported by high-resolution mass spectrometry data, the reactions involved sugars and amine compounds, followed by amino acid destruction due to the Maillard reaction, which consumes both sugars and amino acids. Surprisingly, a second phase of amino acid formation, specifically α-amino acids, was observed, indicating the potential occurrence of the Strecker reaction. We demonstrate the intricate chemical network occurring within the presence of molecular diversity, similar to what might occur during parent body alteration. Therefore, investigations on reactivity within meteorite parent bodies have to take into account their molecular diversity, recognizing potential cross-reactions, as demonstrated in this work.

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“…PAHs eventually reach planetary surfaces ferried by interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) and (micro)meteorites. Depending on their origin, the isotopic signatures of PAHs in meteorites may carry information on accretion processes and aqueous alteration conditions (Lecasble et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Laboratory and field analogs of the Martian (sub)surface

Poplawska-Kopacz¹

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Mars missions and Martian analog systems inform each other in an iterative fashion: the insights gleaned from laboratory and field analogs guides mission concepts while the data acquired by missions improves analog designs. As space missions only grant us a small subset of everything we desire to study on Mars, support from simulations in the laboratory and field expeditions to analog environments is a natural follow-up. In this way we can expand our limited data sets, better interpret the results, and plan the next mission in a more informed manner. Laboratory and field analogs have aided us in our investigations of the mineralogy of Mars, and the search for water, organic molecules, and life that have been some of the primary objectives of Mars missions in the last decades, and questions relevant to fundamental science. In a time of scientific exploration when the frontier is frequented by only a few, our efforts in space exploration are largely accomplished on Earth with relatively low-cost, targeted techniques. This thesis is a collection of four distinct laboratory and field analog studies. It describes several experimental designs used to study the stability of organic molecules in various surface environments on Mars and the significance of those environments to Martian prebiotic chemistry, and includes a field campaign to a Martian analog environment (Icelandic lava tubes) undertaken to gain insight into potential geochemical signatures of life in the subsurface of Mars. The works are presented in the larger context of analogs in planetary research and astrobiology.

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Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in carbonaceous chondrites can be used as tracers of both pre-accretion and secondary processes

Cited by 8 publications

References 143 publications

Molecular distribution and ¹³C isotope composition of volatile organic compounds in the Murchison and Sutter's Mill carbonaceous chondrites

Molecular distribution and ¹³C isotope composition of volatile organic compounds in the Murchison and Sutter's Mill carbonaceous chondrites

Molecular Diversity and Amino Acid Evolution in Simulated Carbonaceous Chondrite Parent Bodies

Laboratory and field analogs of the Martian (sub)surface

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Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in carbonaceous chondrites can be used as tracers of both pre-accretion and secondary processes

Cited by 8 publications

References 143 publications

Molecular distribution and 13C isotope composition of volatile organic compounds in the Murchison and Sutter's Mill carbonaceous chondrites

Molecular distribution and 13C isotope composition of volatile organic compounds in the Murchison and Sutter's Mill carbonaceous chondrites

Molecular Diversity and Amino Acid Evolution in Simulated Carbonaceous Chondrite Parent Bodies

Laboratory and field analogs of the Martian (sub)surface

Contact Info

Product

Resources

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Molecular distribution and ¹³C isotope composition of volatile organic compounds in the Murchison and Sutter's Mill carbonaceous chondrites

Molecular distribution and ¹³C isotope composition of volatile organic compounds in the Murchison and Sutter's Mill carbonaceous chondrites