Organic molecules, such as simple sugars, have been found in meteorites on Earth and in molecular clouds in space accompanied by catalytically active minerals. During billions of years of bombardment, these space materials were brought to Earth via comet, asteroid, and meteorite delivery. These impacts were previously thought to obliterate any organics on the object. However, simulated shock experiments on organic materials such as amino acids and PAHs show that the compounds not only survive impact but also undergo reactions to form additional molecules. In these experiments, we report on the survivability and reactivity of two simple sugars found in extraterrestrial objects under similar conditions. Using the flat-plate accelerator at NASA Johnson Space Center, combinations of minerals and simple sugars were subjected to high-velocity impacts and the resulting samples were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. New polyhydroxylated compounds were found in the samples, showing that both the minerals and the impact were acting as catalysts. Initial results of these experiments will be presented.

Effects of high-velocity impacts and catalytically active minerals on simple sugars

247th National Meeting (2014)

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