Gamma-Ray-Induced Synthesis of Sugars in Meteorite Parent BodiesOPEN ACCESS 

· by · in , ,

Shunpei Abe, Isao Yoda, Kensei Kobayashi, and Yoko Kebukawa*

ACS Earth and Space Chemistry
August 15, 2024

LINK (OPEN ACCESS)
PDF (OPEN ACCESS)

“Sugars play an indispensable role for all living organisms. Given that certain sugars have been identified in carbonaceous chondrites, these compounds might have been delivered to the early Earth via meteorites. The genesis of these sugars, however, has been a subject of debate; they are considered to have either originated from UV irradiation of interstellar ice or from hydrothermal reactions within the environments of meteorite parent bodies. The parent bodies of carbonaceous chondrites contained water ice which underwent hydrothermal alteration as a result of the internal warming of these bodies. The most likely source of this heat is believed to be the decay of radioactive nuclides, such as 26Al. In our previous research, we demonstrated that gamma-ray exposure significantly enhances the synthesis of amino acids from aqueous solutions of formaldehyde, ammonia, and methanol. Nonetheless, the impact of radiation on sugar formation has not been investigated. Hence, the current study is conducted with a focus on the formation of aldose sugars through gamma-ray irradiation to such solution mixtures. Our results reveal that gamma-rays indeed promote the formation of sugars, including ribose, without the presence of a catalyst such as glycolaldehyde. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the presence of ammonia enhanced the yield of aldose sugars, although higher concentration of ammonia inhibited sugar production. Our findings suggest that gamma-rays from the decay of 26Al played a significant role in the formation of sugars during low-temperature aqueous alteration inside meteorite parent bodies.”

Related posts (automatically generated):

  1. Gamma-Ray-Induced Amino Acid Formation in Aqueous Small Bodies in the Early Solar SystemOPEN ACCESS 
  2. Synthesis of Amino Acids from Aldehydes and Ammonia: Implications for Organic Reactions in Carbonaceous Chondrite Parent BodiesOPEN ACCESS 
  3. Nature’s Starships II: Simulating the Synthesis of Amino Acids in Meteorite Parent Bodies
  4. Prebiotic Vitamin B3 Synthesis in Carbonaceous PlanetesimalsOPEN ACCESS 
  5. Isotope effects at the origin of life: Fingerprints of the Strecker synthesis
  6. One-pot synthesis of amino acid precursors with insoluble organic matter in planetesimals with aqueous activityOPEN ACCESS 
  7. Abiotic Synthesis of Organic Matter in Aqueous Environments Simulating Parent Bodies of Meteorites and the Effects of Minerals on the Production of Amino Acids
  8. Synthesis of Organic Matter in Aqueous Environments Simulating Small Bodies in the Solar System and the Effects of Minerals on Amino Acid FormationOPEN ACCESS 
  9. Meteorite Parent Body Aqueous Alteration Simulations of Interstellar Residue AnalogsOPEN ACCESS 
  10. Evaluating the abiotic synthesis potential and the stability of building blocks of life beneath an impact-induced steam atmosphereOPEN ACCESS 
Tags: , , , , ,