Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-xbtfd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-14T09:31:45.040Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Formation of biomolecule precursors in space?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2008

Wolf D. Geppert
Affiliation:
Physics Department, Stockholm UniversityRoslagstullsbacken 21, S-10691, Stockholm, Sweden email: wgeppert@physto.se
Erik Vigren
Affiliation:
Physics Department, Stockholm UniversityRoslagstullsbacken 21, S-10691, Stockholm, Sweden email: wgeppert@physto.se
Mathias Hamberg
Affiliation:
Physics Department, Stockholm UniversityRoslagstullsbacken 21, S-10691, Stockholm, Sweden email: wgeppert@physto.se
Vitali Zhaunerchyk
Affiliation:
Physics Department, Stockholm UniversityRoslagstullsbacken 21, S-10691, Stockholm, Sweden email: wgeppert@physto.se
Magdalena Kaminska
Affiliation:
Swietokrzyska Akademy, Swietokrzyska, PL-25406 Kielce, Poland
Richard D. Thomas
Affiliation:
Physics Department, Stockholm UniversityRoslagstullsbacken 21, S-10691, Stockholm, Sweden email: wgeppert@physto.se
Fabian Österdahl
Affiliation:
Physics Department, Stockholm UniversityRoslagstullsbacken 21, S-10691, Stockholm, Sweden email: wgeppert@physto.se
Fredrik Hellberg
Affiliation:
Physics Department, Stockholm UniversityRoslagstullsbacken 21, S-10691, Stockholm, Sweden email: wgeppert@physto.se
Anneli Ehlerding
Affiliation:
Physics Department, Stockholm UniversityRoslagstullsbacken 21, S-10691, Stockholm, Sweden email: wgeppert@physto.se
Mathias Danielsson
Affiliation:
Physics Department, Stockholm UniversityRoslagstullsbacken 21, S-10691, Stockholm, Sweden email: wgeppert@physto.se
Mats Larsson
Affiliation:
Physics Department, Stockholm UniversityRoslagstullsbacken 21, S-10691, Stockholm, Sweden email: wgeppert@physto.se
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The possibility of an extraterrestrial origin of biomolecule building blocks has been a subject of intense discussions for many years. The detection of amino acids in meteorites opens the possibility of a delivery of biomolecules synthesized in the interstellar medium or star-forming regions to the primeval Earth. Whereas it can be doubted if more complex species like amino acids can survive the strong UV radiation in the early Solar System, this does not necessary hold for more primitive precursor molecules like nitriles. These compounds can also be synthesized very efficiently in methane-nitrogen dominated atmospheres like the one present on Titan and the early ages of Earth. This Contribution focuses on the formation and degradation processes of nitriles in interstellar clouds and planetary atmospheres and on their possible role in the generation of biomolecules.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2008

References

Anicich, V. G., Sen, A. D., Huntress, W. T., & McEwan, M. 1995, J. Chem. Phys., 102, 3256CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Balucani, N., Asvany, O., Huang, L. C. L., Lee, Y. T., Kaiser, R. I., Osamura, Y., & Bettinger, H. F. 2000a, ApJ, 545, 892CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Balucani, N., Cartechini, L., Alagia, M., Casavecchia, P., & Volpi, G. G. 2000b, J. Phys. Chem. A., 104, 5655CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bell, M. B., Feldman, P. A., Kwok, S., & Matthews, H. E. 1982, Nature, 295, 389CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bernstein, M. P., Dworkin, J. P., Sandford, S. A., Cooper, G. W., & Allamandola, L. J. 2002, Nature, 416, 401CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bernstein, M. P., Ashbourn, S. F. M.Sandford, S. A., & Allamandola, L. J. 2004, ApJ, 601, 365CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clarke, D. W. & Ferris, J. P. 1997, Icarus, 127, 158.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cronin, J. R. & Pizarrello, S. 1997, Science, 295, 951CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ehrenfreund, P. & Sephton, M. A. 2006, Faraday Disc., 133, 277CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Geoghegan, M., Adams, N. G., & Smith, D. 1991, J. Phys. B., 24, 2589CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Geppert, W. D., Ehlerding, A., Hellberg, F., Semaniak, J., Österdahl, F., Kaminska, M., Al-Khalili, A., Zhaunerchyk, V., Thomas, R., afUgglas, M. Ugglas, M., Källberg, A., Simonsson, A., & Larsson, M. 2004, ApJ, 613, 1302CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Geppert, W. D., Hamberg, M., Thomas, R. D., Österdahl, F., Hellberg, F., Zhaunerchyk, V., Ehlerding, A., Millar, T. J., Roberts, H., Semaniak, J., af Ugglas, M., Djuric, N., Källberg, A., Simonsson, A., Kaminska, M., & Larsson, M. 2006, Faraday Disc., 133, 177CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Herbst, E. & Leung, C. M. 1990, A&A, 233, 177Google Scholar
Huntress, W. T. & Mitchell, G. F. 1979, ApJ, 231, 456CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johansson, L. E. B., Andersson, C., Elldér, J., Friberg, P., Hjalmarsson, A., Höglund, B., Irvine, W. M., Olofsson, H., & Rydbeck, G. 1984, A&A, 130, 227Google Scholar
Lavvas, P. P., Coustenis, A., & Vardavas, I. M., 2008a, Planet. Space Sci., 56, 27CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lavvas, P. P., Coustenis, A., & Vardavas, I. M., 2008b, Planet. Space Sci., 56, 67CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Matthews, P. & Sears, T. J. 1986, ApJ, 300, 766CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, S. L. 1953, Science, 117, 528CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Neau, A., Al-Khalili, A., Rosén, S., Le Padellec, A., Derkatch, A. M, Shi, W., Vikor, L., Larsson, M., Nagard, M. B., Andersson, K., Danared, H., & af Ugglas, M. 2000, J. Chem. Phys., 113, 1762CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pizarrello, S. & Cooper, G. W. 2001, Meteoritics and Planetary Science, 36, 897CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pratap, P., Dickens, J. E., Snell, R. L., Miralles, M. P.Bergin, E. A., Irwine, W. M., & Schloerb, F. P. 1997, ApJ, 486, 862CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosing, M. T. & Frei, R. 2004, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 217, 234CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vigren, E., Kaminska, M., Hamberg, M., Zhaunerchyk, V.Thomas, R. D., Danielsson, M., Semaniak, J., Andersson, P. U., Larsson, M, & Geppert, W. D., 2008 Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 10, 4014CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vuitton, V., Yelle, R. V., & Anicich, V. G. 2006, ApJ (Letters), 647, L175CrossRefGoogle Scholar