Molecular asymmetry in extraterrestrial chemistry: Insights from a pristine meteorite
The nonracemic amino acids of meteorites provide the only natural example of molecular asymmetry measured so far outside the biosphere. Because extant life depends on chiral homogeneity for the structure and function of biopolymers, the study of these meteoritic compounds may offer insights into the...
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ftpubmed:oai:pubmedcentral.nih.gov:2268819 2023-05-15T13:55:51+02:00 Molecular asymmetry in extraterrestrial chemistry: Insights from a pristine meteorite Pizzarello, Sandra Huang, Yongsong Alexandre, Marcelo R. 2008-03-11 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2268819 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18310323 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0709909105 en eng National Academy of Sciences http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2268819 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18310323 http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0709909105 © 2008 by The National Academy of Sciences of the USA Physical Sciences Text 2008 ftpubmed https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0709909105 2013-09-01T16:33:51Z The nonracemic amino acids of meteorites provide the only natural example of molecular asymmetry measured so far outside the biosphere. Because extant life depends on chiral homogeneity for the structure and function of biopolymers, the study of these meteoritic compounds may offer insights into the establishment of prebiotic attributes in chemical evolution as well as the origin of terrestrial homochirality. However, all efforts to understand the origin, distribution, and scope of these amino acids' enantiomeric excesses (ee) have been frustrated by the ready exposure of meteorites to terrestrial contaminants and the ubiquitous homochirality of such contamination. We have analyzed the soluble organic composition of a carbonaceous meteorite from Antarctica that was collected and stored under controlled conditions, largely escaped terrestrial contamination and offers an exceptionally pristine sample of prebiotic material. Analyses of the meteorite diastereomeric amino acids alloisoleucine and isoleucine allowed us to show that their likely precursor molecules, the aldehydes, also carried a sizable molecular asymmetry of up to 14% in the asteroidal parent body. Aldehydes are widespread and abundant interstellar molecules; that they came to be present, survived, and evolved in the solar system carrying ee gives support to the idea that biomolecular traits such as chiral asymmetry could have been seeded in abiotic chemistry ahead of life. Text Antarc* Antarctica PubMed Central (PMC) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 105 10 3700 3704 |
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Physical Sciences Pizzarello, Sandra Huang, Yongsong Alexandre, Marcelo R. Molecular asymmetry in extraterrestrial chemistry: Insights from a pristine meteorite |
topic_facet |
Physical Sciences |
description |
The nonracemic amino acids of meteorites provide the only natural example of molecular asymmetry measured so far outside the biosphere. Because extant life depends on chiral homogeneity for the structure and function of biopolymers, the study of these meteoritic compounds may offer insights into the establishment of prebiotic attributes in chemical evolution as well as the origin of terrestrial homochirality. However, all efforts to understand the origin, distribution, and scope of these amino acids' enantiomeric excesses (ee) have been frustrated by the ready exposure of meteorites to terrestrial contaminants and the ubiquitous homochirality of such contamination. We have analyzed the soluble organic composition of a carbonaceous meteorite from Antarctica that was collected and stored under controlled conditions, largely escaped terrestrial contamination and offers an exceptionally pristine sample of prebiotic material. Analyses of the meteorite diastereomeric amino acids alloisoleucine and isoleucine allowed us to show that their likely precursor molecules, the aldehydes, also carried a sizable molecular asymmetry of up to 14% in the asteroidal parent body. Aldehydes are widespread and abundant interstellar molecules; that they came to be present, survived, and evolved in the solar system carrying ee gives support to the idea that biomolecular traits such as chiral asymmetry could have been seeded in abiotic chemistry ahead of life. |
format |
Text |
author |
Pizzarello, Sandra Huang, Yongsong Alexandre, Marcelo R. |
author_facet |
Pizzarello, Sandra Huang, Yongsong Alexandre, Marcelo R. |
author_sort |
Pizzarello, Sandra |
title |
Molecular asymmetry in extraterrestrial chemistry: Insights from a pristine meteorite |
title_short |
Molecular asymmetry in extraterrestrial chemistry: Insights from a pristine meteorite |
title_full |
Molecular asymmetry in extraterrestrial chemistry: Insights from a pristine meteorite |
title_fullStr |
Molecular asymmetry in extraterrestrial chemistry: Insights from a pristine meteorite |
title_full_unstemmed |
Molecular asymmetry in extraterrestrial chemistry: Insights from a pristine meteorite |
title_sort |
molecular asymmetry in extraterrestrial chemistry: insights from a pristine meteorite |
publisher |
National Academy of Sciences |
publishDate |
2008 |
url |
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2268819 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18310323 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0709909105 |
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Antarc* Antarctica |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctica |
op_relation |
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2268819 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18310323 http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0709909105 |
op_rights |
© 2008 by The National Academy of Sciences of the USA |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0709909105 |
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |
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105 |
container_issue |
10 |
container_start_page |
3700 |
op_container_end_page |
3704 |
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1766262743681204224 |