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Related Concept Videos

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All living things are formed mostly of carbon compounds called organic compounds. The category of organic compounds includes both natural and synthetic compounds that contain carbon. Although a single, precise definition has yet to be identified by the chemistry community, most agree that a defining trait of organic molecules is the presence of carbon as the principal element, bonded to hydrogen and other carbon atoms. However, some carbon-containing compounds such as carbonates, cyanides, and...
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In general, the term ‘aromatic’ indicates a pleasant smell or fragrance from fresh flowers, freshly prepared coffee, etc. In the early history of organic chemistry, many benzene derivatives were isolated from the pleasant odor oils of the plants. For example, vanillin was isolated from the oil of vanilla, methyl salicylate from the oil of wintergreen, and cinnamaldehyde from the oil of cinnamon. They all had a pleasant odor; hence the name aromatic was given.
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Organic compounds in circumstellar and interstellar environments.

Sun Kwok1

  • 1Space Astronomy Laboratory, Faculty of Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China, sunkwok@hku.hk.

Origins of Life and Evolution of the Biosphere : the Journal of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life
|February 28, 2015
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Complex organic molecules, essential for life, are synthesized in dying stars and found throughout the universe, including our Solar System. This cosmic organic matter links stellar evolution to the origins of life on Earth.

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Area of Science:

  • Astrochemistry
  • Cosmology
  • Organic Chemistry

Background:

  • Complex organic matter is detected across the universe, from our Solar System to distant galaxies.
  • Organic molecules with aromatic/aliphatic structures are observed in stellar ejecta and the interstellar medium.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the synthesis and chemical structure of complex organic matter originating from stellar evolution.
  • To establish a link between stellar-derived organic matter and its presence in the Solar System.

Main Methods:

  • Space infrared spectroscopy to observe organic signatures in stellar evolution.
  • Laboratory experiments using chemical vapor deposition to synthesize artificial organic particles.
  • Isotopic analysis of meteorites and interplanetary dust to identify pre-solar grains.

Main Results:

  • Complex organics are synthesized in stellar winds during late evolutionary stages, forming solid particles.
  • Stellar organics are characterized as amorphous carbonaceous nanoparticles with mixed aromatic/aliphatic structures.
  • These stellar organics closely resemble insoluble organic matter found in meteorites and pre-solar grains.

Conclusions:

  • Stellar ejecta chemically enriched the early Solar System with complex organic matter.
  • The presence of stellar organics suggests a potential influence on the origin of life on Earth.