Abstract EANA2024-44

HCN in a ubiquitous molecule in the universe and it is relatively easy to synthesize in the laboratory with simulation experiments and under a reducing atmosphere [1]. Polymerization processes that involve it can take place under a large range of simulated experimental conditions. Cyanide is known to be present in meteorites, asteroids and moons in the Solar System. Therefore, it is quite remarkable the key role it has in the mentioned processes of chemical evolution and the increment in the molecular complexity of the wet systems [2]. That is why a complex organic matrix will occur after the polymerization/oligomerization routes mentioned before, where many interactions induce the formation of polar organic compounds. Some of them are prebiotically relevant compounds of interest in the investigation of these chemical evolution paths [3]. The effect of mineral surfaces in terms of increased molecular complexity has been considered important in origin-of-life studies, both for the investigation of novel structures and for their associated chemical pathways [4]. With all of that, a natural interaction between aqueous-mineral systems will be expected [5]. That is why the behavior of cyanide in polymerization processes, in the presence of aqueous aerosols to simulate plausible prebiotic environments, is currently the focus. As a matter of fact, there were proposed many substrates, as their relative abundance on the Martian surface (plausible analogues), with different kinetics and under the presence of wet chemistry systems (alkaline aqueous aerosols). It was targeted the study of the resulting interaction among organic matter the mineral itself and the water, as the obtained binding and coating processes were clearly successfully. So, after the elucidation by many spectroscopic techniques (FT-IR, LIBS, TEM, SEM, GC-MS, HPLC, Thermal Analysis, Elemental analysis. All these measurements gave us extremely valid information about the resulted structures, as the interactions occurred. And what is one of the most remarkable things in these experiments, the importance of the mineral used. The reaction is absolutely dependent on it. It can modify the binding-coating processes with the resulted organic matter. In particular LIBS provides wide and precise information about the polymeric organic coatings that cover the different mineral substrates [6]. We keep studying the role of minerals in the synthesis mechanism of the system, to better understand the prebiotic era and its chemical processes.

 

[1] A. Eschenmoser, Tetrahedron 2007, 63, 12821–12844

[2] M. R. Marín-Yaseli, et al. Chem. Eur. J. 2016, 22, 12785

[3] G. Wächtershäuser, Chemistry & Biodiversity 2007, 4, 584

[4] Pearce et al., The Astrophysical Journal 2022, 932:9, 21

[5] Ruiqin Yi et al., PNAS 2020, vol. 117  no. 24, 13267–13274

[6] J. Laserna et al., Applied Spectroscopy 2019, vol. 73(9) 963–101