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Infrared‐Assisted Synthesis of Prebiotic Glycine
Author(s) -
Scuderi Debora,
PérezMellor Ariel,
Lemaire Joël,
Indrajith Suvasthika,
Bardaud JeanXavier,
Largo Antonio,
Jeanvoine Yannick,
Spezia Riccardo
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
chemphyschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.016
H-Index - 140
eISSN - 1439-7641
pISSN - 1439-4235
DOI - 10.1002/cphc.202000065
Subject(s) - infrared , chemistry , molecule , photodissociation , hydroxylamine , photochemistry , infrared spectroscopy , mass spectrometry , acetic acid , ion , computational chemistry , organic chemistry , physics , optics , chromatography
Abstract A novel approach has been developed to synthesize complex organic molecules (COMs) relevant to prebiotic chemistry, using infrared (IR) radiation to trigger the reaction. An original laboratory reactor working at low gas density and using IR irradiation was developed. In this way, glycine, the simplest brick of life, has been synthesized by assisting ion–molecule reaction with IR laser light. The ion‐molecule complex constituted by acetic acid and hydroxylamine was formed in a mass spectrometer reactor and then irradiated with IR photons. As photoproducts, we obtained both glycine structures and some of its isomers. Anharmonic vibrational frequency calculations and fragmentation dynamics simulations allow for a better interpretation of the experimental data. This novel approach can be now extended to study other new synthetic pathways responsible for the formation of further COMs also with potential prebiotic relevance.