Andrew Lee, Sarah Maurer<br/>Central Connecticut State University, Department of Chemistry<br/><br/>The most common metric for assessing the habitability of a planet or moon is through the amount of water that area possesses. While liquid water has not been found in abundance elsewhere in the solar system, lakes of liquid alkanes have been discovered on the moon Titan. This begs the question of could it be possible for life to form in other mediums? We tested mono-, di-, and triglycine for their solubility in decanol to better understand the role of Earth-like biomolecules in life in an oil phase. These molecules were partitioned at differing pH’s: 1.5, 7, and 10 with the help of charged amphiphiles called phase transfer agents. The method used to detect the compounds was HILiC HPLC with charged aerosol detection. From the data acquired, none of the molecules were able to readily partition into the decanol phase without a phase transfer agent. With the presence of transfer agents however, glycine at high and medium pH was able to substantially partition into the decanol phase with di-, and triglycine being partially able to partition at higher pHs. These trials provide insight into the possibility of life existing in non-water fluids like that of oils and other hydrocarbons.

HPLC analysis of mono-, di-, and triglycine as a solvent for life

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.