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Kaiser RI, Zhao L, Lu W, Ahmed M, Evseev MM, Azyazov VN, Mebel AM, Mohamed RK, Fischer FR, Li X. Gas-phase synthesis of racemic helicenes and their potential role in the enantiomeric enrichment of sugars and amino acids in meteorites. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:25077-25087. [PMID: 36056687 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp03084e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The molecular origins of homochirality on Earth is not understood well, particularly how enantiomerically enriched molecules of astrobiological significance like sugars and amino acids might have been synthesized on icy grains in space preceding their delivery to Earth. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) identified in carbonaceous chondrites could have been processed in molecular clouds by circularly polarized light prior to the depletion of enantiomerically enriched helicenes onto carbonaceous grains resulting in chiral islands. However, the fundamental low temperature reaction mechanisms leading to racemic helicenes are still unknown. Here, by exploiting synchrotron based molecular beam photoionization mass spectrometry combined with electronic structure calculations, we provide compelling testimony on barrierless, low temperature pathways leading to racemates of [5] and [6]helicene. Astrochemical modeling advocates that gas-phase reactions in molecular clouds lead to racemates of helicenes suggesting a pathway for future astronomical observation and providing a fundamental understanding for the origin of homochirality on early Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralf I Kaiser
- Department of Chemistry, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96822, USA.
| | - Long Zhao
- Department of Chemistry, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96822, USA.
| | - Wenchao Lu
- Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
| | - Musahid Ahmed
- Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
| | | | | | - Alexander M Mebel
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199, USA.
| | - Rana K Mohamed
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.,Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.,Kavli Energy Nano Sciences Institute at the University of California Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - Felix R Fischer
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.,Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.,Kavli Energy Nano Sciences Institute at the University of California Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - Xiaohu Li
- Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830011, P. R. China.,Key Laboratory of Radio Astronomy, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830011, P. R. China.
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2
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Potapov A, Fulvio D, Krasnokutski S, Jäger C, Henning T. Formation of Complex Organic and Prebiotic Molecules in H 2O:NH 3:CO 2 Ices at Temperatures Relevant to Hot Cores, Protostellar Envelopes, and Planet-Forming Disks. J Phys Chem A 2022; 126:1627-1639. [PMID: 35245052 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.1c10188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Photochemistry in H2O:NH3:CO2 cosmic ice analogues was studied at temperatures of 75, 120, and 150 K, relevant to hot cores and warmer regions in protostellar envelopes and planet-forming disks. A combination of two triggers of surface chemistry in cosmic ice analogues, heat and UV irradiation, compared to using either just heat or UV irradiation, leads to a larger variety and an increased production of complex organic molecules, including potential precursors of prebiotic molecules. In addition to complex organic molecules detected in previous studies of H2O:NH3:CO2 ices, ammonium carbamate, carbamic acid, ammonium formate and formamide, we detected acetaldehyde, urea, and, tentatively, glycine, the simplest amino acid. Water ice hampers reactions at low temperature (75 K) but allows the parent molecules, CO2 and NH3, to stay in the solid state and react at higher temperatures (120 and 150 K, above their desorption temperatures). The experiments were performed on the surface of KBr substrates and amorphous silicate grains, analogs of cosmic silicate dust. The production of complex molecules on the silicate surface is decreased compared to KBr. This result suggests that the larger surface area and/or surface properties of the silicate grains play a role in controlling the chemistry, preventing it taking place to the same extent as on the flat KBr substrate. This is further evidence of the fact that cosmic dust grains play an important role in the chemistry taking place on their surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexey Potapov
- Laboratory Astrophysics Group of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Institute of Solid State Physics, Helmholtzweg 3, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Daniele Fulvio
- Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte, Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, Salita Moiariello 16, 80131, Naples, Italy.,Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Serge Krasnokutski
- Laboratory Astrophysics Group of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Institute of Solid State Physics, Helmholtzweg 3, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Cornelia Jäger
- Laboratory Astrophysics Group of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Institute of Solid State Physics, Helmholtzweg 3, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Thomas Henning
- Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany
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3
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Extraterrestrial hexamethylenetetramine in meteorites-a precursor of prebiotic chemistry in the inner solar system. Nat Commun 2020; 11:6243. [PMID: 33288754 PMCID: PMC7721876 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20038-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite extensive studies on the formation of organic molecules in various extraterrestrial environments, it still remains under debate when, where, and how such molecules were abiotically formed. A key molecule to solve the problem, hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) has not been confirmed in extraterrestrial materials despite extensive laboratory experimental evidence that it can be produced in interstellar or cometary environments. Here we report the first detection of HMT and functionalized HMT species in the carbonaceous chondrites Murchison, Murray, and Tagish Lake. While the part-per-billion level concentration of HMT in Murchison and Tagish Lake is comparable to other related soluble organic molecules like amino acids, these compounds may have eluded detection in previous studies due to the loss of HMT during the extraction processes. HMT, which can yield important molecules for prebiotic chemistry such as formaldehyde and ammonia upon degradation, is a likely precursor of meteoritic organic compounds of astrochemical and astrophysical interest. This manuscript tackles the origin of organic molecules in carbonaceous meteorites. Identifying hexamethylenetetramine in three carbonaceous meteorites, the authors propose formation from ammonia and formaldehyde by photochemical and thermal reactions in the interstellar medium, followed by the incorporation into planetary systems.
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Oba Y, Takano Y, Naraoka H, Watanabe N, Kouchi A. Nucleobase synthesis in interstellar ices. Nat Commun 2019; 10:4413. [PMID: 31562325 PMCID: PMC6764953 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12404-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2019] [Accepted: 09/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The synthesis of nucleobases in natural environments, especially in interstellar molecular clouds, is the focus of a long-standing debate regarding prebiotic chemical evolution. Here we report the simultaneous detection of all three pyrimidine (cytosine, uracil and thymine) and three purine nucleobases (adenine, xanthine and hypoxanthine) in interstellar ice analogues composed of simple molecules including H2O, CO, NH3 and CH3OH after exposure to ultraviolet photons followed by thermal processes, that is, in conditions that simulate the chemical processes accompanying star formation from molecular clouds. Photolysis of primitive gas molecules at 10 K might be one of the key steps in the production of nucleobases. The present results strongly suggest that the evolution from molecular clouds to stars and planets provides a suitable environment for nucleobase synthesis in space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasuhiro Oba
- Institute of Low Temperature Science (ILTS), Hokkaido University, N19W8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-0819, Japan.
| | - Yoshinori Takano
- Department of Biogeochemistry, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), 2-15 Natsushima, Yokosuka, Kanagawa, 237-0061, Japan.,Biogeochemistry Program, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), 2-15 Natsushima, Yokosuka, Kanagawa, 237-0061, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Naraoka
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan.,Research Center for Planetary Trace Organic Compounds, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Naoki Watanabe
- Institute of Low Temperature Science (ILTS), Hokkaido University, N19W8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-0819, Japan
| | - Akira Kouchi
- Institute of Low Temperature Science (ILTS), Hokkaido University, N19W8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-0819, Japan
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5
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Garcia AD, Meinert C, Sugahara H, Jones NC, Hoffmann SV, Meierhenrich UJ. The Astrophysical Formation of Asymmetric Molecules and the Emergence of a Chiral Bias. Life (Basel) 2019; 9:E29. [PMID: 30884807 PMCID: PMC6463258 DOI: 10.3390/life9010029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Revised: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The biomolecular homochirality in living organisms has been investigated for decades, but its origin remains poorly understood. It has been shown that circular polarized light (CPL) and other energy sources are capable of inducing small enantiomeric excesses (ees) in some primary biomolecules, such as amino acids or sugars. Since the first findings of amino acids in carbonaceous meteorites, a scenario in which essential chiral biomolecules originate in space and are delivered by celestial bodies has arisen. Numerous studies have thus focused on their detection, identification, and enantiomeric excess calculations in extraterrestrial matrices. In this review we summarize the discoveries in amino acids, sugars, and organophosphorus compounds in meteorites, comets, and laboratory-simulated interstellar ices. Based on available analytical data, we also discuss their interactions with CPL in the ultraviolet (UV) and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) regions, their abiotic chiral or achiral synthesis, and their enantiomeric distribution. Without doubt, further laboratory investigations and upcoming space missions are required to shed more light on our potential extraterrestrial molecular origins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrien D Garcia
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7272, 06108 Nice, France.
| | - Cornelia Meinert
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7272, 06108 Nice, France.
| | - Haruna Sugahara
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7272, 06108 Nice, France.
- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency⁻Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, 3-1-1 Yoshinodai, Chuo Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5210, Japan.
| | - Nykola C Jones
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - Søren V Hoffmann
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - Uwe J Meierhenrich
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7272, 06108 Nice, France.
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6
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Sugahara H, Meinert C, Nahon L, Jones NC, Hoffmann SV, Hamase K, Takano Y, Meierhenrich UJ. d-Amino acids in molecular evolution in space - Absolute asymmetric photolysis and synthesis of amino acids by circularly polarized light. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2018; 1866:743-758. [PMID: 29357311 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2018.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2017] [Revised: 12/22/2017] [Accepted: 01/05/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Living organisms on the Earth almost exclusively use l-amino acids for the molecular architecture of proteins. The biological occurrence of d-amino acids is rare, although their functions in various organisms are being gradually understood. A possible explanation for the origin of biomolecular homochirality is the delivery of enantioenriched molecules via extraterrestrial bodies, such as asteroids and comets on early Earth. For the asymmetric formation of amino acids and their precursor molecules in interstellar environments, the interaction with circularly polarized photons is considered to have played a potential role in causing chiral asymmetry. In this review, we summarize recent progress in the investigation of chirality transfer from chiral photons to amino acids involving the two major processes of asymmetric photolysis and asymmetric synthesis. We will discuss analytical data on cometary and meteoritic amino acids and their potential impact delivery to the early Earth. The ongoing and future ambitious space missions, Hayabusa2, OSIRIS-REx, ExoMars 2020, and MMX, are scheduled to provide new insights into the chirality of extraterrestrial organic molecules and their potential relation to the terrestrial homochirality. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: d-Amino acids: biology in the mirror, edited by Dr. Loredano Pollegioni, Dr. Jean-Pierre Mothet and Dr. Molla Gianluca.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haruna Sugahara
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7272, 06108 Nice, France
| | - Cornelia Meinert
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7272, 06108 Nice, France
| | - Laurent Nahon
- L'Orme des Merisiers, Synchrotron SOLEIL, BP 48 Saint Aubin, 91192 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Nykola C Jones
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Søren V Hoffmann
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Kenji Hamase
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Yoshinori Takano
- Department of Biogeochemistry, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), 2-15 Natsushima, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 237-0061, Japan
| | - Uwe J Meierhenrich
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7272, 06108 Nice, France.
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7
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Deuterium Fractionation upon the Formation of Hexamethylenetetramines through Photochemical Reactions of Interstellar Ice Analogs Containing Deuterated Methanol Isotopologues. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017. [DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/aa8ea5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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8
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Tachibana S, Kouchi A, Hama T, Oba Y, Piani L, Sugawara I, Endo Y, Hidaka H, Kimura Y, Murata KI, Yurimoto H, Watanabe N. Liquid-like behavior of UV-irradiated interstellar ice analog at low temperatures. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2017; 3:eaao2538. [PMID: 28975154 PMCID: PMC5621975 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aao2538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2017] [Accepted: 09/07/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Interstellar ice is believed to be a cradle of complex organic compounds, commonly found within icy comets and interstellar clouds, in association with ultraviolet (UV) irradiation and subsequent warming. We found that UV-irradiated amorphous ices composed of H2O, CH3OH, and NH3 and of pure H2O behave like liquids over the temperature ranges of 65 to 150 kelvin and 50 to 140 kelvin, respectively. This low-viscosity liquid-like ice may enhance the formation of organic compounds including prebiotic molecules and the accretion of icy dust to form icy planetesimals under certain interstellar conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shogo Tachibana
- Department of Natural History Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan
| | - Akira Kouchi
- Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0819, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Hama
- Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0819, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Oba
- Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0819, Japan
| | - Laurette Piani
- Department of Natural History Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan
| | - Iyo Sugawara
- Department of Natural History Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan
| | - Yukiko Endo
- Department of Natural History Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Hidaka
- Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0819, Japan
| | - Yuki Kimura
- Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0819, Japan
| | - Ken-ichiro Murata
- Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0819, Japan
| | - Hisayoshi Yurimoto
- Department of Natural History Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan
- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5210, Japan
| | - Naoki Watanabe
- Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0819, Japan
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9
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Formation of Glycerol through Hydrogenation of CO Ice under Prestellar Core Conditions. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017. [DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/aa74dc] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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