Identification of nitrogenous organic species in Titan aerosols analogs: Implication for prebiotic chemistry on Titan and early Earth

•Structural investigation of Titan aerosols analogs by NMR and GC–MS.•Several nitrogenous molecules are identified and confirmed by authentic samples.•Prebiotic species (aminoacetonitrile and adenine) are identified in Titan aerosols analogs.•Possible formation pathways via simple precursors CH2NH,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Icarus (New York, N.Y. 1962) N.Y. 1962), 2014-08, Vol.238, p.86-92
Main Authors: He, Chao, Smith, Mark A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adenines
Aerosols
Analogs
Atmospheres
Organic chemistry
Prebiotic chemistry
Precursors
Saturn satellites
Titan
Titan, atmosphere
Titan, surface
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Summary:•Structural investigation of Titan aerosols analogs by NMR and GC–MS.•Several nitrogenous molecules are identified and confirmed by authentic samples.•Prebiotic species (aminoacetonitrile and adenine) are identified in Titan aerosols analogs.•Possible formation pathways via simple precursors CH2NH, HCN, NH3, CH3CN and C2H2. Titan has a significant atmosphere composed primarily of nitrogen and methane with a significant organic haze component. Its nitrogen-rich atmosphere, abundant organics, and liquid surface make this moon of interest as a prebiotic laboratory at the planetary scale and one of the best targets for studying prebiotic planetary organic chemistry. In our previous work, we have investigated the chemical composition of Titan aerosol analogs (tholins) and identified a variety of nitrogenous organic molecules. Here we continue our structural investigation and identify four important prebiotic molecules in Titan tholins using NMR, GC–MS and standard sample comparison, including aminoacetonitrile, succinonitrile, acetoguanamine and adenine. On the basis of their structural characteristics, we suggest their formation pathways via simple precursors including methanimine (CH2NH), HCN, NH3, CH3CN and C2H2 in laboratory N2CH4 plasma or potentially in Titan’s atmosphere. Among these molecules, aminoacetonitrile is a potential precursor of amino acids and peptides, while adenine is a necessary ingredient for DNA and RNA. The identification of these molecules in Titan’s organic aerosol analogs increases our knowledge of Titan’s organic chemistry and its prebiotic implications.
ISSN:0019-1035
1090-2643
DOI:10.1016/j.icarus.2014.05.012