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Interstellar chemistry recorded in organic matter from primitive meteorites
Henner Busemann1, Andrea F Young, Conel M O'd Alexander
1Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5241 Broad Branch Road, NW, Washington, DC 20015, USA. busemann@dtm.ciw.edu
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|May 6, 2006
Summary
Primitive organic matter in meteorites shows extreme isotopic anomalies, rivaling those in interplanetary dust. This suggests both materials preserve key components from the early solar system's building blocks.
Area of Science:
- Cosmochemistry
- Astrobiology
- Planetary Science
Background:
- Organic matter in extraterrestrial samples exhibits isotopic anomalies in hydrogen and nitrogen.
- These anomalies suggest origins in presolar environments like molecular clouds or protoplanetary disks.
- Interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) were previously considered the most primitive matter due to extreme isotope anomalies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and compare the isotopic compositions of hydrogen and nitrogen in carbonaceous chondrite organic matter and IDPs.
- To determine if carbonaceous chondrites preserve primitive organic matter comparable to or exceeding that in IDPs.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of hydrogen and nitrogen isotopic compositions in organic matter from carbonaceous chondrites.
- Comparison of these isotopic data with existing data from interplanetary dust particles.
Main Results:
- Organic matter within carbonaceous chondrites exhibits hydrogen and nitrogen isotopic compositions that reach and surpass those found in IDPs.
- This finding challenges the notion that IDPs are uniquely the most primitive solar system material.
Conclusions:
- Both meteorites (from the asteroid belt) and IDPs (potentially from comets) contain primitive organic matter.
- These primitive organics were integral components of the solar system's initial building blocks.
- The study expands our understanding of the distribution and preservation of presolar organic materials in the early solar system.
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