Prebiotic Chemistry of Pluto

Cruikshank, D. P.; Materese, Christopher K.; Pendleton, Y. J.; Boston, P. J.; Grundy, W. M.; Schmitt, Bernard; Lisse, C. M.; Runyon, K. D.; Keane, J. T.; Beyer, R. A.; Summers, M. E.; Scipioni, F.; Stern, S. A.; Ore, Cristina M. Dalle; Olkin, C. B.; Young, L. A.; Ennico, K.; Weaver, Harold A.; Bray, V. J.

doi:10.1089/ast.2018.1927

Cited by 31 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 112 publications

(147 reference statements)

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“…Finally, Sebree et al (2018) have recently detected prebiotic molecules in aerosols formed from an AC glow discharge in a N2:CH4:CO gas mixture with a high CO mixing ratio, and a recent review was also published by Cruikshank et al (2019) about the implications of Pluto for the prebiotic chemistry. In our data, we detected at m/z 111.043 the following chemical formula C4H5N3O, which can correspond to cytosine, the easiest produced nucleobase.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical composition of Pluto aerosol analogues

Jovanović

Gautier

Vuitton

et al. 2020

Icarus

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical composition of Pluto aerosol analogues

Jovanović

Gautier

Vuitton

et al. 2020

Icarus

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“…The varied and widespread coloration of Pluto's ices is attributed to refractory complex organic compounds (tholins) formed by photochemical reactions in the atmosphere and precipitated to the surface (Cheng et al 2017;Grundy et al 2018), and more directly by photolysis and radiolysis of CH 4 and N 2 in the surface ices (e.g., Cruikshank et al 2016). In view of the special colors in Virgil Fossae, Cruikshank et al (2019b) proposed that complex organics present in a subsurface fluid reservoir that supplied the cryolava in the fossa trough and surroundings by cryoclastic eruptions constitute a third source of tholins now seen on the planet's surface. The unique color of the Virgil Fossae tholin may represent a composition different from that of other widespread surface exposures, or it might be an indication of its relative chemical immaturity, perhaps consistent with the relatively recent deposition on the surface inferred from its distribution in and around the fossae complex.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cryovolcanic flooding in Viking Terra on Pluto

Cruikshank

Ore

Scipioni

et al. 2021

Icarus

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This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.

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“…The significance to prebiotic chemistry of Pluto’s surface exposures of ammoniated H 2 O that contains a red pigment of presumed organic composition has been explored by Cruikshank et al [ 63 ]. They note that laboratory experiments in which ultraviolet photolysis of water ice containing purines and pyrimidines (which have not been detected on Pluto or Arrokoth) and NH 3 produces a range of nucleobases, including the five found in living systems on Earth.…”

Section: Pluto and Charonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organic Components of Small Bodies in the Outer Solar System: Some Results of the New Horizons Mission

Cruikshank

Pendleton

Grundy

2020

Life

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The close encounters of the Pluto–Charon system and the Kuiper Belt object Arrokoth (formerly 2014 MU69) by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft in 2015 and 2019, respectively, have given new perspectives on the most distant planetary bodies yet explored. These bodies are key indicators of the composition, chemistry, and dynamics of the outer regions of the Solar System’s nascent environment. Pluto and Charon reveal characteristics of the largest Kuiper Belt objects formed in the dynamically evolving solar nebula inward of ~30 AU, while the much smaller Arrokoth is a largely undisturbed relic of accretion at ~45 AU. The surfaces of Pluto and Charon are covered with volatile and refractory ices and organic components, and have been shaped by geological activity. On Pluto, N2, CO and CH4 are exchanged between the atmosphere and surface as gaseous and condensed phases on diurnal, seasonal and longer timescales, while Charon’s surface is primarily inert H2O ice with an ammoniated component and a polar region colored with a macromolecular organic deposit. Arrokoth is revealed as a fused binary body in a relatively benign space environment where it originated and has remained for the age of the Solar System. Its surface is a mix of CH3OH ice, a red-orange pigment of presumed complex organic material, and possibly other undetected components.

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Prebiotic Chemistry of Pluto

Cited by 31 publications

References 112 publications

Chemical composition of Pluto aerosol analogues

Chemical composition of Pluto aerosol analogues

Cryovolcanic flooding in Viking Terra on Pluto

Organic Components of Small Bodies in the Outer Solar System: Some Results of the New Horizons Mission

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