Titan's primordial soup: formation of amino acids via low-temperature hydrolysis of tholins.
| Title: | Titan's primordial soup: formation of amino acids via low-temperature hydrolysis of tholins. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Neish CD; Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723-6099, USA. catherine.neish@jhuapl.edu; Somogyi A; Smith MA |
| Source: | Astrobiology [Astrobiology] 2010 Apr; Vol. 10 (3), pp. 337-47. |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101088083 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1557-8070 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 15578070 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Astrobiology Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: Larchmont, N.Y. : Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., c2001- |
| MeSH Terms: | Cold Temperature* ; Extraterrestrial Environment* ; Saturn*; Amino Acids/*chemical synthesis ; Organic Chemicals/*chemistry; Thymine/chemistry ; Hydrolysis ; Mass Spectrometry ; Molecular Weight ; Protons |
| Abstract: | Titan organic haze analogues, or "tholins," produce biomolecules when hydrolyzed at low temperature over long timescales. By using a combination of high-resolution mass spectroscopy and tandem mass spectrometry fragmentation techniques, four amino acids were identified in a tholin sample that had been hydrolyzed in a 13 wt % ammonia-water solution at 253 + or - 1 K and 293 + or - 1 K for 1 year. These four species have been assigned as the amino acids asparagine, aspartic acid, glutamine, and glutamic acid. This represents the first detection of biologically relevant molecules created under conditions thought to be similar to those found in impact melt pools and cryolavas on Titan, which are at a stage of chemical evolution not unlike the "primordial soup" of the early Earth. Future missions to Titan should therefore carry instrumentation capable of, but certainly not limited to, detecting amino acids and other prebiotic molecules on Titan's surface. |
| Substance Nomenclature: | 0 (Amino Acids); 0 (Organic Chemicals); 0 (Protons); QR26YLT7LT (Thymine) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20100508 Date Completed: 20100922 Latest Revision: 20151119 |
| Update Code: | 20260130 |
| DOI: | 10.1089/ast.2009.0402 |
| PMID: | 20446873 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
Journal Article; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.