PAHs, hydrocarbons, and dimethylsulfides in Asteroid Ryugu samples A0106 and C0107 and the Orgueil (CI1) meteoriteOPEN ACCESS
José C. Aponte, Jason P. Dworkin, Daniel P. Glavin, Jamie E. Elsila, Eric T. Parker, Hannah L. McLain, Hiroshi Naraoka, Ryuji Okazaki, Yoshinori Takano, Shogo Tachibana, Guannan Dong, Sarah S. Zeichner, John M. Eiler, Hisayoshi Yurimoto, Tomoki Nakamura, Hikaru Yabuta, Fuyuto Terui, Takaaki Noguchi, Kanako Sakamoto, Toru Yada, Masahiro Nishimura, Aiko Nakato, Akiko Miyazaki, Kasumi Yogata, Masanao Abe, Tatsuaki Okada, Tomohiro Usui, Makoto Yoshikawa, Takanao Saiki, Satoshi Tanaka, Satoru Nakazawa, Yuichi Tsuda, Sei-ichiro Watanabe, The Hayabusa2-initial-analysis SOM team & The Hayabusa2-initial-analysis core team
Earth, Planets and Space, Volume 75, Article number: 28
Published: 27 February 2023
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“Evaluating the molecular distribution of organic compounds in pristine extraterrestrial materials is cornerstone to understanding the abiotic synthesis of organics and allows us to better understand the molecular diversity available during the formation of our solar system and before the origins of life on Earth. In this work, we identify multiple organic compounds in solvent extracts of asteroid Ryugu samples A0106 and C0107 and the Orgueil meteorite using two-dimensional gas chromatography and time-of-flight high resolution mass spectrometry (GC×GC–HRMS). Our analyses found similarities between the molecular distribution of organic compounds in Ryugu and the CI carbonaceous chondrite Orgueil. Specifically, several PAHs and organosulfides were found in Ryugu and Orgueil suggesting an interstellar and parent body origin for these compounds. We also evaluated the common relationship between Ryugu, Orgueil, and comets, such as Wild-2; however, until comprehensive compound-specific isotopic analyses for these organic species are undertaken, and until the effects of parent body processes and Earth’s weathering processes on meteoritic organics are better understood, their parent–daughter relationships will remain unanswered. Finally, the study of organic compounds in Ryugu samples and the curation practices for the future preservation of these unvaluable materials are also of special interest for future sample return missions, including NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission.”
