The deuterium/hydrogen distribution in chondritic organic matter attests to early ionizing irradiation.

ABSTRACT: Primitive carbonaceous chondrites contain a large array of organic compounds dominated by insoluble organic matter (IOM). A striking feature of this IOM is the systematic enrichment in deuterium compared with the solar hydrogen reservoir. This enrichment has been taken as a sign of low-temperature ion-molecule or gas-grain reactions. However, the extent to which Solar System processes, especially ionizing radiation, can affect D/H ratios is largely unknown. Here, we report the effects of electron irradiation on the hydrogen isotopic composition of organic precursors containing different functional groups. From an initial terrestrial composition, overall D-enrichments and differential intramolecular fractionations comparable with those measured in the Orgueil meteorite were induced. Therefo

SUBMITTER: Laurent B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4633821 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature