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1.
Abstract– Asteroids and their fragments have impacted the Earth for the last 4.5 Gyr. Carbonaceous meteorites are known to contain a wealth of indigenous organic molecules, including amino acids, which suggests that these meteorites could have been an important source of prebiotic organic material during the origins of life on Earth and possibly elsewhere. We report the detection of extraterrestrial amino acids in thermally altered type 3 CV and CO carbonaceous chondrites and ureilites recovered from Antarctica. The amino acid concentrations of the thirteen Antarctic meteorites ranged from 300 to 3200 parts‐per‐billion (ppb), generally much less abundant than in amino acid‐rich CI, CM, and CR carbonaceous chondrites that experienced much lower temperature aqueous alteration on their parent bodies. In contrast to low‐temperature aqueously altered meteorites that show complete structural diversity in amino acids formed predominantly by Strecker–cyanohydrin synthesis, the thermally altered meteorites studied here are dominated by small, straight‐chain, amine terminal (n‐ω‐amino) amino acids that are not consistent with Strecker formation. The carbon isotopic ratios of two extraterrestrial n‐ω‐amino acids measured in one of the CV chondrites (δ13C approximately ?25‰) are consistent with 13C‐depletions observed previously in hydrocarbons produced by Fischer‐Tropsch type reactions. The predominance of n‐ω‐amino acid isomers in thermally altered meteorites hints at cosmochemical mechanisms for the preferential formation and preservation of a small subset of the possible amino acids.  相似文献   

2.
The investigation into whether Mars contains signatures of past or present life is of great interest to science and society. Amino acids and nucleobases are compounds that are essential for all known life on Earth and are excellent target molecules in the search for potential Martian biomarkers or prebiotic chemistry. Martian meteorites represent the only samples from Mars that can be studied directly in the laboratory on Earth. Here, we analyzed the amino acid and nucleobase content of the shergottite Roberts Massif (RBT) 04262 using liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry. We did not detect any nucleobases above our detection limit in formic acid extracts; however, we did measure a suite of protein and nonprotein amino acids in hot‐water extracts with high relative abundances of β‐alanine and γ‐amino‐n‐butyric acid. The presence of only low (to absent) levels of several proteinogenic amino acids and a lack of nucleobases suggest that this meteorite fragment is fairly uncontaminated with respect to these common biological compounds. The distribution of straight‐chained amine‐terminal n‐ω‐amino acids in RBT 04262 resembled those previously measured in thermally altered carbonaceous meteorites (Burton et al. 2012; Chan et al. 2012). A carbon isotope ratio of ?24‰ ± 6‰ for β‐alanine in RBT 04262 is in the range of reduced organic carbon previously measured in Martian meteorites (Steele et al. 2012). The presence of n‐ω‐amino acids may be due to a high temperature Fischer‐Tropsch‐type synthesis during igneous processing on Mars or impact ejection of the meteorites from Mars, but more experimental data are needed to support these hypotheses.  相似文献   

3.
The abundances, distributions, enantiomeric ratios, and carbon isotopic compositions of amino acids in two fragments of the Aguas Zarcas CM2 type carbonaceous chondrite fall and a fragment of the CM2 Murchison meteorite were determined via liquid chromatography time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry and gas chromatography isotope ratio mass spectrometry. A suite of two‐ to six‐carbon aliphatic primary amino acids was identified in the Aguas Zarcas and Murchison meteorites with abundances ranging from ~0.1 to 158 nmol/g. The high relative abundances of α‐amino acids found in these meteorites are consistent with a Strecker‐cyanohydrin synthesis on these meteorite parent bodies. Amino acid enantiomeric and carbon isotopic measurements in both fragments of the Aguas Zarcas meteorites indicate that both samples experienced some terrestrial protein amino acid contamination after their fall to Earth. In contrast, similar measurements of alanine in Murchison revealed that this common protein amino acid was both racemic (D ≈ L) and heavily enriched in 13C, indicating no measurable terrestrial alanine contamination of this meteorite. Carbon isotope measurements of two rare non‐proteinogenic amino acids in the Aguas Zarcas and Murchison meteorites, α‐aminoisobutyric acid and D‐ and L‐isovaline, also fall well outside the typical terrestrial range, confirming they are extraterrestrial in origin. The detections of non‐terrestrial L‐isovaline excesses of ~10–15% in both the Aguas Zarcas and Murchison meteorites, and non‐terrestrial L‐glutamic acid excesses in Murchison of ~16–40% are consistent with preferential enrichment of circularly polarized light generated L‐amino acid excesses of conglomerate enantiopure crystals during parent body aqueous alteration and provide evidence of an early solar system formation bias toward L‐amino acids prior to the origin of life.  相似文献   

4.
Abstract— Amino acid analyses of the Antarctic CM2 chondrites Allan Hills (ALH) 83100 and Lewis Cliff (LEW) 90500 using liquid chromatography‐time of flight‐mass spectrometry (LC‐ToF‐MS) coupled with UV fluorescence detection revealed that these carbonaceous meteorites contain a suite of indigenous amino acids not present in Antarctic ice. Several amino acids were detected in ALH 83100, including glycine, alanine, β‐alanine, γ‐amino‐n‐butyric acid (γ‐ABA), and α‐aminoisobutyric acid (AIB) with concentrations ranging from 250 to 340 parts per billion (ppb). In contrast to ALH 83100, the CM2 meteorites LEW 90500 and Murchison had a much higher total abundance of these amino acids (440–3200 ppb). In addition, ALH 83100 was found to have lower abundances of the α‐dialkyl amino acids AIB and isovaline than LEW 90500 and Murchison. There are three possible explanations for the depleted amino acid content in ALH 83100: 1) amino acid leaching from ALH 83100 during exposure to Antarctic ice meltwater, 2) a higher degree of aqueous alteration on the ALH 83100 parent body, or 3) ALH 83100 originated on a chemically distinct parent body from the other two CM2 meteorites. The high relative abundance of ?‐amino‐n‐caproic acid (EACA) in the ALH 83100 meteorite as well as the Antarctic ice indicates that Nylon‐6 contamination from the Antarctic sample storage bags may have occurred during collection.  相似文献   

5.
Abstract– Two new fragments of the Almahata Sitta meteorite and a sample of sand from the related strewn field in the Nubian Desert, Sudan, were analyzed for two to six carbon aliphatic primary amino acids by ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography with UV‐fluorescence detection and time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (LC‐FT/ToF‐MS). The distribution of amino acids in fragment #25, an H5 ordinary chondrite, and fragment #27, a polymict ureilite, were compared with results from the previously analyzed fragment #4, also a polymict ureilite. All three meteorite fragments contain 180–270 parts‐per‐billion (ppb) of amino acids, roughly 1000‐fold lower than the total amino acid abundance of the Murchison carbonaceous chondrite. All of the Almahata Sitta fragments analyzed have amino acid distributions that differ from the Nubian Desert sand, which primarily contains l ‐α‐amino acids. In addition, the meteorites contain several amino acids that were not detected in the sand, indicating that many of the amino acids are extraterrestrial in origin. Despite their petrological differences, meteorite fragments #25 and #27 contain similar amino acid compositions; however, the distribution of amino acids in fragment #27 was distinct from those in fragment #4, even though both are polymict ureilites from the same parent body. Unlike in CM2 and CR2/3 meteorites, there are low relative abundances of α‐amino acids in the Almahata Sitta meteorite fragments, which suggest that Strecker‐type chemistry was not a significant amino acid formation mechanism. Given the high temperatures that asteroid 2008 TC3 appears to have experienced and lack of evidence for aqueous alteration on the asteroid, it is possible that the extraterrestrial amino acids detected in Almahata Sitta were formed by Fischer‐Tropsch/Haber‐Bosch type gas‐grain reactions at elevated temperatures.  相似文献   

6.
Exogenous delivery of amino acids and other organic molecules to planetary surfaces may have played an important role in the origins of life on Earth and other solar system bodies. Previous studies have revealed the presence of indigenous amino acids in a wide range of carbon‐rich meteorites, with the abundances and structural distributions differing significantly depending on parent body mineralogy and alteration conditions. Here we report on the amino acid abundances of seven type 3–6 CK chondrites and two Rumuruti (R) chondrites. Amino acid measurements were made on hot water extracts from these meteorites by ultrahigh‐performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection and time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. Of the nine meteorites analyzed, four were depleted in amino acids, and one had experienced significant amino acid contamination by terrestrial biology. The remaining four, comprised of two R and two CK chondrites, contained low levels of amino acids that were predominantly the straight chain, amino‐terminal (n‐ω‐amino) acids β‐alanine, and γ‐amino‐n‐butyric acid. This amino acid distribution is similar to what we reported previously for thermally altered ureilites and CV and CO chondrites, and these n‐ω‐amino acids appear to be indigenous to the meteorites and not the result of terrestrial contamination. The amino acids may have been formed by Fischer–Tropsch‐type reactions, although this hypothesis needs further testing.  相似文献   

7.
X‐ray microcomputed tomography (μCT) is a useful means of characterizing cosmochemical samples such as meteorites or robotically returned samples. However, there are occasional concerns that the use of μCT may be detrimental to the organic components of a chondrite. Small organic compounds such as amino acids comprise up to ~10% of the total solvent extractable carbon in CM carbonaceous chondrites. We irradiated three samples of the Murchison CM carbonaceous chondrite under conditions akin to and harsher than those typically used during typical benchtop X‐ray μCT imaging experiments to determine if detectable changes in the amino acid abundance and distribution relative to a nonexposed Murchison control sample occurred. After subjecting three meteorite samples to ionizing radiation dosages between ~300 Gray (Gy) and 3 kGy with bremstrahlung X‐rays, we analyzed the amino acid content of each sample. Within sampling and analytical errors, we cannot discern differences in the amino acid abundances and amino acid enantiomeric ratios when comparing the control samples (nonexposed Murchison) and the irradiated samples. We conclude that a polychromatic X‐ray μCT experiment does not alter the abundances of amino acids to a degree greater than how well those abundances are measured with our techniques and therefore any damage to amino acids is minimal.  相似文献   

8.
Abstract— –CR chondrites are among the most primitive meteorites. In this paper, we report the first measurements of amino acids in Antarctic CR meteorites. Three CRs, Elephant Moraine (EET) 92042, Graves Nunataks (GRA) 95229, and Grosvenor Mountains (GRO) 95577, were analyzed for their amino acid content using high‐performance liquid chromatography with UV fluorescence detection (HPLC‐FD) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC‐MS). Our data show that EET 92042 and GRA 95229 are the most amino acid–rich chondrites ever analyzed, with total amino acid concentrations ranging from 180 ppm to 249 ppm. The most abundant amino acids present in the EET 92042 and GRA 95229 meteorites are the α‐amino acids glycine, isovaline, α‐aminoisobutyric acid (α‐AIB), and alanine, with δ13C values ranging from +31.6‰ to +50.5‰. The carbon isotope results together with racemic enantiomeric ratios determined for most amino acids strongly indicate an extraterrestrial origin for these compounds. Compared to Elephant Moraine (EET) 92042 and GRA 95229, the more aqueously altered GRO 95577 is depleted in amino acids. In both CRs and CMs, the absolute amino acid abundances appear to be related to the degree of aqueous alteration in their parent bodies. In addition, the relative abundances of α‐AIB and β‐alanine in the Antarctic CRs also appear to depend on the degree of aqueous alteration.  相似文献   

9.
Abstract— CM2 carbonaceous chondrites are the most primitive material present in the solar system, and some of their subtypes, the CM and CI chondrites, contain up to 2 wt% of organic carbon. The CM2 carbonaceous chondrites contain a wide variety of complex amino acids, while the CI1 meteorites Orgueil and Ivuna display a much simpler composition, with only glycine and β‐alanine present in significant abundances. CM1 carbonaceous chondrites show a higher degree of aqueous alteration than CM2 types and therefore provide an important link between the CM2 and CI1 carbonaceous chondrites. Relative amino acid concentrations have been shown to be indicative for parent body processes with respect to the formation of this class of compounds. In order to understand the relationship of the amino acid composition between these three types of meteorites, we have analyzed for the first time three Antarctic CM1 chondrites, Meteorite Hills (MET) 01070, Allan Hills (ALH) 88045, and LaPaz Icefield (LAP) 02277, using gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) and high performance liquid chromatography‐fluorescence detection (HPLC‐FD). The concentrations of the eight most abundant amino acids in these meteorites were compared to those of the CM2s Murchison, Murray, Mighei, Lewis Cliff (LEW) 90500, ALH 83100, as well as the CI1s Orgueil and Ivuna. The total amino acid concentration in CM1 carbonaceous chondrites was found to be much lower than the average of the CM2s. Relative amino acid abundances were compared in order to identify synthetic relationships between the amino acid compositions in these meteorite classes. Our data support the hypothesis that amino acids in CM‐ and CI‐type meteorites were synthesized under different physical and chemical conditions and may best be explained with differences in the abundances of precursor compounds in the source regions of their parent bodies in combination with the decomposition of amino acids during extended aqueous alteration.  相似文献   

10.
The Orgueil meteorite has become one of the most well‐studied carbonaceous meteorites, after it fell in France 150 yr ago. Extraterrestrial organic compounds such as amino acids and nucleobases in the parts per billion ranges were identified in Orgueil samples with supporting isotopic analyses. However, speculations of terrestrial contamination such as organic inclusions in the form of microbes and seeds accompanied the analyses of the Orgueil meteorite ever since its fall. By using molecular analysis, we performed DNA extractions and spiking experiments combined with 16S and 18S rRNA gene targeted PCR amplification to quantify the level of terrestrial biocontamination. Our results indicate that terrestrial contamination with DNA was insignificant in the investigated meteorite fraction. We also remeasured and confirmed concentrations of amino acids found in previous studies and conclude that their rather high concentrations and distribution cannot be explained by terrestrial contamination with microorganisms alone. These results represent the first analysis using DNA‐directed tools in the analysis of the Orgueil meteorite to determine trace levels of biomarkers.  相似文献   

11.
Abstract— Methods of synchrotron X‐ray computed microtomography (XRCMT) are described, which allow nondestructive, high spatial and contrast resolution imaging of the density structures of meteorites and their components in three dimensions. Images of bulk chondrites (to one cubic centimeter in size) reveal compound chondrules, chondrule/matrix volumetric ratios, metal and sulfide distribution, petrofabrics, and 3‐D chondrule and calcium‐aluminum inclusion (CAI) sizes and shapes. Images of separated chondrules and CAIs reveal void spaces, mineral intergrowth textures, and the true locations of crystal rims and cores, at resolutions to <8 cubic micron/volume element. Images of achondrites reveal mineral fabrics and crystal zoning. Lunar glass spherules can be searched for phenocrysts bearing deeply sourced melt inclusions. A companion DVD and URL contain images for classroom and research use. Numerical techniques for quantification of X‐ray computed microtomography (XRCMT) data and its potential applications are discussed. Three‐dimensional X‐ray images of meteorites provide a way to discover components of interest and to precisely slice samples to expose these components with minimal damage and loss of material. Three‐dimensional studies of petrographic features (size, shape, texture, and modal abundance) of chondrites and their components, as well as other meteorites, have definite advantages over standard 2‐D studies using randomly sliced thin sections.  相似文献   

12.
Abstract– It has been intermittently debated whether some of the organic compounds we find in meteorites, which show a general relationship to interstellar precursors in their isotopic enrichments, could also be formed ab initio from simple gases in nebular and/or parent body processes. Spurred by divergent findings for the organic composition of different stones of the Tagish Lake meteorite, we studied the likelihood of Fisher Tropsch type syntheses of amino acids from CO, H2, and NH3 in the presence of different meteoritic minerals as catalysts and report that amino acids and amines can be produced efficiently under these conditions. Products differed in their molecular distribution depending on the catalyst used, with α‐aminoisobutyric acid synthesized preferentially by Murchison and magnetite powders.  相似文献   

13.
Abstract— –We have analyzed ice samples and meteorites from the LaPaz region of Antarctica to investigate the composition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and amino acids with the goal to understand whether or not there is a compositional relationship between the two reservoirs. Four LL5 ordinary chondrites (OCs) and one CK carbonaceous chondrite were collected as part of the 2003/2004 ANSMET season. Ice samples collected from directly underneath the meteorites were extracted. In addition, exhaust particles from the snowmobiles used during the expedition were collected to investigate possible contributions from this source. The meteorite samples, the particulate matter and solid‐state extracts of the ice samples and the exhaust filters were subjected to two‐step laser mass spectrometry (L2MS) to investigate the PAH composition. For amino acids analysis, the meteorites were extracted with water and acid hydrolyzed, and the extracts were analyzed with offline OPA/NAC derivatization combined with liquid chromatography with UV fluorescence detection and time of flight mass spectrometry (LC‐FD/ToF‐MS). PAHs in the particulate matter of the ice were found to be qualitatively similar to the meteorite samples, indicating that micron‐sized grains of the meteorite may be embedded in the ice samples. The concentration levels of dissolved PAHs in all the ice samples were found to be below the detection limit of the L2MS. The PAH composition of the snowmobile exhaust is significantly different to the one in particulate matter, making it an unlikely source of contamination for Antarctic meteorites. The amino acids glycine, β‐alanine and γ‐amino‐n‐butyric acid that were detected at concentrations of 3 to 19 parts per billion (ppb) are probably indigenous to the Antarctic meteorites. Some of the LaPaz ice samples were also found to contain amino acids at concentration levels of 1 to 33 parts per trillion (ppt), in particular α‐aminoisobutyric acid (AIB), an abundant non‐protein amino acid of extraterrestrial origin found in some carbonaceous chondrites. We hypothesize that this amino acid could have been extracted from Antarctic micrometeorites and the particulate matter of the meteorites during the concentration procedure of the ice samples.  相似文献   

14.
Abstract– To investigate the effect of parent body processes on the abundance, distribution, and enantiomeric composition of amino acids in carbonaceous chondrites, the water extracts from nine different powdered CI, CM, and CR carbonaceous chondrites were analyzed for amino acids by ultra performance liquid chromatography‐fluorescence detection and time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (UPLC‐FD/ToF‐MS). Four aqueously altered type 1 carbonaceous chondrites including Orgueil (CI1), Meteorite Hills (MET) 01070 (CM1), Scott Glacier (SCO) 06043 (CM1), and Grosvenor Mountains (GRO) 95577 (CR1) were analyzed using this technique for the first time. Analyses of these meteorites revealed low levels of two‐ to five‐carbon acyclic amino alkanoic acids with concentrations ranging from approximately 1 to 2,700 parts‐per‐billion (ppb). The type 1 carbonaceous chondrites have a distinct distribution of the five‐carbon (C5) amino acids with much higher relative abundances of the γ‐ and δ‐amino acids compared to the type 2 and type 3 carbonaceous chondrites, which are dominated by α‐amino acids. Much higher amino acid abundances were found in the CM2 chondrites Murchison, Lonewolf Nunataks (LON) 94102, and Lewis Cliffs (LEW) 90500, the CR2 Elephant Moraine (EET) 92042, and the CR3 Queen Alexandra Range (QUE) 99177. For example, α‐aminoisobutyric acid (α‐AIB) and isovaline were approximately 100 to 1000 times more abundant in the type 2 and 3 chondrites compared to the more aqueously altered type 1 chondrites. Most of the chiral amino acids identified in these meteorites were racemic, indicating an extraterrestrial abiotic origin. However, nonracemic isovaline was observed in the aqueously altered carbonaceous chondrites Murchison, Orgueil, SCO 06043, and GRO 95577 with l ‐isovaline excesses ranging from approximately 11 to 19%, whereas the most pristine, unaltered carbonaceous chondrites analyzed in this study had no detectable l ‐isovaline excesses. These results are consistent with the theory that aqueous alteration played an important role in amplification of small initial left handed isovaline excesses on the parent bodies.  相似文献   

15.
The common appearance of hygroscopic brine (“sweating”) on ordinary chondrites (OCs) from Oman during storage under room conditions initiated a study on the role of water‐soluble salts on the weathering of OCs. Analyses of leachates from OCs and soils, combined with petrography of alteration features and a 11‐month record of in situ meteorite and soil temperatures, are used to evaluate the role of salts in OC weathering. Main soluble ions in soils are Ca2+, SO42?, HCO3?, Na+, and Cl?, while OC leachates are dominated by Mg2+ (from meteoritic olivine), Ca2+ (from soil), Cl? (from soil), SO42? (from meteoritic troilite and soil), and iron (meteoritic). “Sweating meteorites” mainly contain Mg2+ and Cl?. The median Na/Cl mass ratio of leachates changes from 0.65 in soils to 0.07 in meteorites, indicating the precipitation of a Na‐rich phase or loss of an efflorescent Na‐salt. The total concentrations of water‐soluble ions in bulk OCs ranges from 600 to 9000 μg g?1 (median 2500 μg g?1) as compared to 187–14140 μg g?1 in soils (median 1148 μg g?1). Soil salts dissolved by rain water are soaked up by meteorites by capillary forces. Daily heating (up to 66.3 °C) and cooling of the meteorites cause a pumping effect, resulting in a strong concentration of soluble ions in meteorites over time. The concentrations of water‐soluble ions in meteorites, which are complex mixtures of ions from the soil and from oxidation and hydrolysis of meteoritic material, depend on the degree of weathering and are highest at W3. Input of soil contaminants generally dominates over the ions mobilized from meteorites. Silicate hydrolysis preferentially affects olivine and is enhanced by sulfide oxidation, producing local acidic conditions as evidenced by jarosite. Plagioclase weathering is negligible. After completion of troilite oxidation, the rate of chemical weathering slows down with continuing Ca‐sulfate contamination.  相似文献   

16.
Abstract— Mn‐Cr systematics in phosphates (sarcopside, graftonite, beusite, galileiite, and johnsomervilleite) in IIIAB iron meteorites were investigated by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). In most cases, excesses in 53Cr are found and δ53Cr is well correlated with Mn/Cr ratios, suggesting that 53Mn was alive at the time of IIIAB iron formation. The inferred Mn‐Cr “ages” are different for different phosphate minerals. This is presumably due to a combined effect of the slow cooling rates of IIIAB iron meteorites and the difference in the diffusion properties of Cr and Mn in the phosphates. The ages of sarcopside are the same for the IIIAB iron meteorites. Johnsomervilleite shows apparent old ages, probably because of a gain of Cr enriched in 53Cr during the closure process. Apparently, old Mn‐Cr ages reported in previous studies can also be explained in a similar way. Therefore, the IIIAB iron meteorites probably experienced identical thermal histories and thus derived from the core of a parent body. Thermal histories of the parent body of IIIAB iron meteorites that satisfy the Mn‐Cr chronology and metallographic cooling rates were constructed by computer simulation. The thermal history at an early stage (<10 Ma after CAI formation) is well determined, though later history may be more model‐dependent. It is suggested that relative timing of various events in the IIIAB parent body may be estimated with the aid of the thermal history. There is a systematic difference in Mn and Cr concentrations in various minerals (phosphates, sulfide, etc.) among the IIIAB iron meteorites, which seems to be mainly controlled by redox conditions.  相似文献   

17.
Abstract— Evidence from meteorites shows that the first solids to form in the solar system, calcium‐aluminum‐rich inclusions (CAIs), were transported outward from the Sun by several AU in the early solar system. We introduce a new concept of levitation and outward transport of CAIs at the surface of protoplanetary disks. Thermal radiation from the disk and the Sun can cause particles to levitate above the disk and drift outward through a process known as photophoresis. During normal conditions this process only works for dust‐sized particles but during high luminosity events like FU‐Orionis outbursts, the process can provide an efficient lift and transport of CAIs from within the inner 1 AU to a distance of several AU from the Sun. This might explain why CAIs, believed to have formed close to the Sun, are common in meteorites believed to come from the outer asteroid belt but are rare or absent in samples from the inner solar system. Since the process only works during the FU‐Orionis event and only for particles up to cm‐size, it may also explain why the CAIs we find in meteorites appear to have formed within a short period of time and why they rarely exceed cm size.  相似文献   

18.
Abstract– Weathering of meteorites at the scale of the entire Antarctic Search for Meteorites program population is studied by analyzing the recent version of the online Antarctic meteorite classification database that includes information about 15,263 meteorites. This paper updates, supplements, and expands on the last Antarctic meteorite weathering census by Velbel (1988 , Meteoritics 23:151–159). On average 5% of all Antarctic meteorites are indicated as evaporite bearing in the Antarctic Meteorite Database. Evaporite formation depends on compositional group. Evaporites are much more common on C chondrites than on ordinary chondrites, supporting previous findings. Ordinary chondrites of petrologic type 3 more often have evaporites on their surface than meteorites of other petrologic types. Contrary to previous findings, there is no apparent relation between evaporite formation and meteorite rustiness. Some meteorite‐bearing fields influence the frequency of evaporite‐mineral formation on meteorites. The influence of location is apparently related to differences in environmental conditions, most probably microclimate or/and hydrologic conditions. There is no relation between abundance of evaporite‐bearing meteorites and distance from the sea. Evaporite formation varies with year of collection; however, it was not possible to distinguish whether this is related to annual changes in environment or an artifact of sample categorization or curation.  相似文献   

19.
We determined the abundances and enantiomeric compositions of amino acids in Sutter's Mill fragment #2 (designated SM2) recovered prior to heavy rains that fell April 25–26, 2012, and two other meteorite fragments, SM12 and SM51, that were recovered postrain. We also determined the abundance, enantiomeric, and isotopic compositions of amino acids in soil from the recovery site of fragment SM51. The three meteorite stones experienced terrestrial amino acid contamination, as evidenced by the low d/l ratios of several proteinogenic amino acids. The d/l ratios were higher in SM2 than in SM12 and SM51, consistent with rain introducing additional l‐ amino acid contaminants to SM12 and SM51. Higher percentages of glycine, β‐alanine, and γ‐amino‐n‐butyric acid were observed in free form in SM2 and SM51 compared with the soil, suggesting that these free amino acids may be indigenous. Trace levels of d +l‐ β‐aminoisobutyric acid (β‐AIB) observed in all three meteorites are not easily explained as terrestrial contamination, as β‐AIB is rare on Earth and was not detected in the soil. Bulk carbon and nitrogen and isotopic ratios of the SM samples and the soil also indicate terrestrial contamination, as does compound‐specific isotopic analysis of the amino acids in the soil. The amino acid abundances in SM2, the most pristine SM meteorite analyzed here, are approximately 20‐fold lower than in the Murchison CM2 carbonaceous chondrite. This may be due to thermal metamorphism in the Sutter's Mill parent body at temperatures greater than observed for other aqueously altered CM2 meteorites.  相似文献   

20.
Abstract– Stable hydrogen, carbon, and nitrogen isotopic ratios (δD, δ13C, and δ15N) of organic compounds can reveal information about their origin and formation pathways. Several formation mechanisms and environments have been postulated for the amino acids detected in carbonaceous chondrites. As each proposed mechanism utilizes different precursor molecules, the isotopic signatures of the resulting amino acids may indicate the most likely of these pathways. We have applied gas chromatography with mass spectrometry and combustion isotope ratio mass spectrometry to measure the compound‐specific C, N, and H stable isotopic ratios of amino acids from seven CM and CR carbonaceous chondrites: CM1/2 Allan Hills (ALH) 83100, CM2 Murchison, CM2 Lewis Cliff (LEW) 90500, CM2 Lonewolf Nunataks (LON) 94101, CR2 Graves Nunataks (GRA) 95229, CR2 Elephant Moraine (EET) 92042, and CR3 Queen Alexandra Range (QUE) 99177. We compare the isotopic compositions of amino acids in these meteorites with predictions of expected isotopic enrichments from potential formation pathways. We observe trends of decreasing δ13C and increasing δD with increasing carbon number in the α‐H, α‐NH2 amino acids that correspond to predictions made for formation via Strecker‐cyanohydrin synthesis. We also observe light δ13C signatures for β‐alanine, which may indicate either formation via Michael addition or via a pathway that forms primarily small, straight‐chain, amine‐terminal amino acids (n‐ω‐amino acids). Higher deuterium enrichments are observed in α‐methyl amino acids, indicating formation of these amino acids or their precursors in cold interstellar or nebular environments. Finally, individual amino acids are more enriched in deuterium in CR chondrites than in CM chondrites, reflecting different parent‐body chemistry.  相似文献   

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