Origin of organic matter in early solar system—IV. Amino acids: Confirmation of catalytic synthesis by mass spectrometry

Abstract

Catalytic synthesis of the following amino acids from CO, ND 3 and D 2 has been confirmed mass spectrometrically: glycine, alanine, aspartic and glutamic acids, histidine, lysine, ornithine, and tyrosine. Contamination was ruled out by use of deuterated reactants. It appears that this reaction (a variant of the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis) can produce most of the amino acids seen in meteorites, along with hydrocarbons, purines and pyrimidines. It may have been an important process for the production of prebiotic organic matter in meteorites and planets.