Chapter 11 - Compound Specific Isotope Analysis of the Organic Constituents in the Murchison Meteorite

Abstract

This chapter analyzes the compound specific isotope of the organic constituents in Murchison Meteorite. Meteorites are the pieces of asteroids that have been propelled towards the Earth by collisions in the asteroid belt. The carbonaceous chondrites are the most primitive of all the meteorites, and attract attention from the organic cosmochemist as they contain up to several percent carbon, the majority of which is present as organic matter. The compound specific isotope analysis (CSIA) produces a significant data set for meteoritic organic components and exposes the reaction mechanisms and possibly source environments from which the organic constituents have been formed. This chapter primarily reviews the CSIA of specific organic compounds from Murchison meteorite such as Carbon, Nitrogen, Sulphur, and Hydrogen. It is becoming widely considered that significant amounts of meteoritic organic matter or its precursor materials are synthesized in an interstellar environment. Although the feedstock for meteoritic organic matter may predate the solar system, its final molecular architecture is strongly determined by the effects of aqueous alteration on the meteorite parent body.