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Did a Complex Carbon Cycle Operate in the Inner Solar System?
Joseph A Nuth1, Frank T Ferguson2,3, Hugh G M Hill4
1Solar System Exploration Division, Code 690, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.
Life (Basel, Switzerland)
|September 19, 2020
Summary
Heating carbonaceous materials in the Solar Nebula likely formed CO, but also produced solids and fibers. These carbonaceous solids and fibers aided planetesimal formation and enriched outer nebula organics, influencing comet and asteroid composition.
Area of Science:
- Cosmochemistry
- Astrochemistry
- Planetary Science
Background:
- Interstellar solids are a mix of silicate and carbonaceous grains.
- High-temperature processing of silicates in the inner Solar Nebula is well-established.
- Carbonaceous materials in the Solar Nebula may have undergone similar thermal processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the fate of carbonaceous materials under Solar Nebula conditions.
- To explore the formation of organic molecules and solids from carbonaceous dust.
- To understand the implications for planetesimal formation and organic enrichment in the outer Solar Nebula.
Main Methods:
- Catalytic experiments on various grain surfaces simulating Solar Nebula conditions.
- Analysis of gas-phase products and solid residues from surface reactions.
Main Results:
- Heating carbonaceous materials produced CO, but also volatile organic molecules (e.g., CH4, C2H6, C6H6) and carbonaceous solids/fibers.
- Carbonaceous fibers enhanced the aggregation of chondrules and Calcium Aluminum-rich Inclusions (CAIs).
- Volatile products were transported outwards, enriching the outer Solar Nebula with organics.
Conclusions:
- High-temperature processing of carbonaceous materials in the Solar Nebula converted much carbon to CO but also generated reactive solids.
- These carbonaceous solids and fibers played a crucial role in planetesimal accretion and organic delivery to the outer Solar Nebula.
- The generated carbonaceous materials served as precursors for complex organic synthesis in asteroids and comets.
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