Open AccessExperimental and Theoretical Constraints on Amino Acid Formation from PAHs in Asteroidal Settings
Author(s) -
Claudia-Corina Giese,
I. L. ten Kate,
Martijn van den Ende,
Mariëtte Wolthers,
José C. Aponte,
Eloi Camprubí,
Jason P. Dworkin,
Jamie E. Elsila,
Suzanne Hangx,
Helen E. King,
Hannah L. McLain,
Oliver Plümper,
A. G. G. M. Tielens
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
acs earth and space chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2472-3452
DOI - 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.1c00329
Subject(s) - murchison meteorite , chemistry , amino acid , pyrene , fluoranthene , anthracene , chondrite , phenylalanine , organic chemistry , carbonaceous chondrite , coronene , alanine , naphthalene , glycine , meteorite , biochemistry , molecule , astrobiology , physics
Amino acids and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) belong to the range of organic compounds detected in meteorites. In this study, we tested empirically and theoretically if PAHs are precursors for amino acids in carbonaceous chondrites, as previously suggested. We conducted experiments to synthesize amino acids from fluoranthene (PAH), with ammonium bicarbonate as a source for ammonia and carbon dioxide under mimicked asteroidal conditions. In our thermodynamic calculations, we extended our analysis to additional PAH-amino acid combinations. We explored 36 reactions involving the PAHs naphthalene, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, triphenylene, and coronene and the amino acids glycine, alanine, valine, leucine, phenylalanine, and tyrosine. Our experiments do not show the formation of amino acids, whereas our theoretical results hint that PAHs could be precursors of amino acids in carbonaceous chondrites at low temperatures.