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Related Experiment Videos

Organic protomolecule assembly in igneous minerals.

F Freund1, A Staple, J Scoville

  • 1Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute/National Aeronautics and Space Administration Ames Research Center, MS 239-15, Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000, USA. ffreund@mail.arc.nasa.gov

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|February 28, 2001
PubMed
Summary

Infrared spectroscopy reveals C-H bonds in minerals like MgO and olivine, suggesting they form organic protomolecules. These mineral-hosted organics could have seeded early Earth, aiding life's emergence.

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Area of Science:

  • Mineralogy and Geochemistry
  • Astrobiology
  • Organic Chemistry

Background:

  • Minerals contain C-H bonds, previously unexplained.
  • These bonds resemble aliphatic CH2 units.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate the origin of C-H bonds in minerals.
  • Determine if minerals can host organic precursors.
  • Assess the role of mineral-hosted organics in abiogenesis.

Main Methods:

  • Infrared spectroscopy of MgO and olivine crystals.
  • Analysis of C-H bond behavior under heating and annealing.
  • Modeling of carbon segregation in mineral dislocations.

Main Results:

  • Observed C-H stretching bands (nu(CH)) in MgO and olivine.

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  • Heating destroyed C-H bonds; annealing at 70°C caused reappearance.
  • Modeling suggests carbon chains (Cx) form in dislocations, reacting with H2 to form organic precipitates.
  • Identified protomolecular C(x)-H(y)-O(z) entities.

    • Conclusions:

    • Minerals like MgO and olivine can host and assemble organic protomolecules.
    • Weathering releases these protomolecules, forming complex organic molecules.
    • These mineral-derived organics may have been crucial for early life on Earth.