DOI: 10.1126/science.1123878. Interstellar Chemistry Recorded in Organic Matter from Primitive Meteorites

Interstellar Chemistry Recorded in Organic Matter from Primitive Meteorites

10.1126/science.1123878

Crossref journal-article

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Science (221)

Abstract

Organic matter in extraterrestrial materials has isotopic anomalies in hydrogen and nitrogen that suggest an origin in the presolar molecular cloud or perhaps in the protoplanetary disk. Interplanetary dust particles are generally regarded as the most primitive solar system matter available, in part because until recently they exhibited the most extreme isotope anomalies. However, we show that hydrogen and nitrogen isotopic compositions in carbonaceous chondrite organic matter reach and even exceed those found in interplanetary dust particles. Hence, both meteorites (originating from the asteroid belt) and interplanetary dust particles (possibly from comets) preserve primitive organics that were a component of the original building blocks of the solar system.

Bibliography

Busemann, H., Young, A. F., Alexander, C. M. O., Hoppe, P., Mukhopadhyay, S., & Nittler, L. R. (2006). Interstellar Chemistry Recorded in Organic Matter from Primitive Meteorites. Science, 312(5774), 727â730.

Authors 6

Henner Busemann (first)
Andrea F. Young (additional)
Conel M. O'D. Alexander (additional)
Peter Hoppe (additional)
Sujoy Mukhopadhyay (additional)
Larry R. Nittler (additional)

References 32 Referenced 319

I. Gilmour, in Treatise on Geochemistry, Volume 1—Meteorites, Comets, and Planets, H. D. Holland, K. K. Turekian, A. M. Davis, Eds. (Elsevier-Pergamon, Oxford, 2003), pp. 269–290. / Treatise on Geochemistry, Volume 1—Meteorites, Comets, and Planets (2003)
10.1111/j.1945-5100.2001.tb01948.x
10.1046/j.1365-8711.2000.03618.x
10.1086/340484
10.1086/307973
10.1111/j.1945-5100.1998.tb01667.x
10.1051/0004-6361:20020037
10.1038/35010053
10.1126/science.1093283
10.1023/A:1024629402715
10.1016/j.gca.2003.07.019
Y. Guan, A. Hofmeister, S. Messenger, R. M. Walker, Lunar Planet. Sci.XXIX, 1760 (1998). / Lunar Planet. Sci. (1998)
See supporting material on Science Online.
C. M. O'D. Alexander, M. L. Fogel, G. D. Cody, Meteorit. Planet. Sci.40, A15 (2005). / Meteorit. Planet. Sci. (2005)
10.1016/S0012-821X(02)01153-6
10.1126/science.290.5494.1142
10.1023/A:1024651232758
10.1023/A:1024637704533
Large 15 N enrichments (up to δ 15 N ∼2500‰) have been found in CB and CH chondrites [e.g. ( 29 )]. However the origin of these anomalies is unknown and their carriers may be secondary phases.
10.1016/j.gca.2004.08.031
10.1086/175031
10.1126/science.1106717
One 5-μm 2 region in EET 92042 IOM is isotopically anomalous in both N and C (δ 15 N = 1150 ± 40‰ δ 13 C = –113 ± 14‰) a composition closely similar to a putative interstellar C grain reported in an IDP ( 9 ). All other observed C anomalies originate from presolar SiC grains ( 15 ) embedded in the samples.
R. N. Clayton, Lunar Planet. Sci.XXXIII, 1326 (2002). / Lunar Planet. Sci. (2002)
10.1038/nature03947
10.1051/0004-6361:20011130
D. H. Wooden, D. E. Harker, A. J. Brearley, ASP Conf. Ser.341, 774 (2005). / ASP Conf. Ser. (2005)
10.1016/j.icarus.2003.10.012
10.1111/j.1945-5100.2001.tb01893.x
10.1017/S1473550402001167
10.1126/science.279.5357.1707
Supported by grants from NASA's Cosmochemistry and Origins of the Solar System program (C.M.O'D.A. L.R.N.) and by the NASA Astrobiology Institute. We thank the NASA Meteorite Working Group for the Antarctic meteorites M. Zolensky for providing the Tagish Lake sample G. Cody for sample preparation assistance E. Gröner for technical assistance with NanoSIMS and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful constructive comments. A.F.Y. thanks B. Minarik for support through a NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates program at the Carnegie Institution of Washington.

Dates

Type	When
Created	19 years, 3 months ago (May 4, 2006, 5:04 p.m.)
Deposited	1 year, 7 months ago (Jan. 9, 2024, 10:54 p.m.)
Indexed	1 month, 4 weeks ago (July 5, 2025, 5:25 a.m.)
Issued	19 years, 3 months ago (May 5, 2006)
Published	19 years, 3 months ago (May 5, 2006)
Published Print	19 years, 3 months ago (May 5, 2006)

Funders 0

None

BibTeX

@article{Busemann_2006, title={Interstellar Chemistry Recorded in Organic Matter from Primitive Meteorites}, volume={312}, ISSN={1095-9203}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1123878}, DOI={10.1126/science.1123878}, number={5774}, journal={Science}, publisher={American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)}, author={Busemann, Henner and Young, Andrea F. and Alexander, Conel M. O’D. and Hoppe, Peter and Mukhopadhyay, Sujoy and Nittler, Larry R.}, year={2006}, month=may, pages={727–730} }

JSON

{
  "indexed": {
    "date-parts": [
      [
        2025,
        7,
        5
      ]
    ],
    "date-time": "2025-07-05T09:25:16Z",
    "timestamp": 1751707516887
  },
  "reference-count": 32,
  "publisher": "American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)",
  "issue": "5774",
  "content-domain": {
    "domain": [],
    "crossmark-restriction": false
  },
  "published-print": {
    "date-parts": [
      [
        2006,
        5,
        5
      ]
    ]
  },
  "abstract": "<jats:p>Organic matter in extraterrestrial materials has isotopic anomalies in hydrogen and nitrogen that suggest an origin in the presolar molecular cloud or perhaps in the protoplanetary disk. Interplanetary dust particles are generally regarded as the most primitive solar system matter available, in part because until recently they exhibited the most extreme isotope anomalies. However, we show that hydrogen and nitrogen isotopic compositions in carbonaceous chondrite organic matter reach and even exceed those found in interplanetary dust particles. Hence, both meteorites (originating from the asteroid belt) and interplanetary dust particles (possibly from comets) preserve primitive organics that were a component of the original building blocks of the solar system.</jats:p>",
  "DOI": "10.1126/science.1123878",
  "type": "journal-article",
  "created": {
    "date-parts": [
      [
        2006,
        5,
        4
      ]
    ],
    "date-time": "2006-05-04T21:04:25Z",
    "timestamp": 1146776665000
  },
  "page": "727-730",
  "source": "Crossref",
  "is-referenced-by-count": 319,
  "title": "Interstellar Chemistry Recorded in Organic Matter from Primitive Meteorites",
  "prefix": "10.1126",
  "volume": "312",
  "author": [
    {
      "given": "Henner",
      "family": "Busemann",
      "sequence": "first",
      "affiliation": [
        {
          "name": "Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5241 Broad Branch Road, NW, Washington, DC 20015, USA."
        },
        {
          "name": "Max-Planck-Institut fu\u0308r Chemie (Otto-Hahn-Institut), Becherweg 27, D-55128 Mainz, Germany."
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "given": "Andrea F.",
      "family": "Young",
      "sequence": "additional",
      "affiliation": [
        {
          "name": "Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5241 Broad Branch Road, NW, Washington, DC 20015, USA."
        },
        {
          "name": "Max-Planck-Institut fu\u0308r Chemie (Otto-Hahn-Institut), Becherweg 27, D-55128 Mainz, Germany."
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "given": "Conel M. O'D.",
      "family": "Alexander",
      "sequence": "additional",
      "affiliation": [
        {
          "name": "Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5241 Broad Branch Road, NW, Washington, DC 20015, USA."
        },
        {
          "name": "Max-Planck-Institut fu\u0308r Chemie (Otto-Hahn-Institut), Becherweg 27, D-55128 Mainz, Germany."
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "given": "Peter",
      "family": "Hoppe",
      "sequence": "additional",
      "affiliation": [
        {
          "name": "Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5241 Broad Branch Road, NW, Washington, DC 20015, USA."
        },
        {
          "name": "Max-Planck-Institut fu\u0308r Chemie (Otto-Hahn-Institut), Becherweg 27, D-55128 Mainz, Germany."
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "given": "Sujoy",
      "family": "Mukhopadhyay",
      "sequence": "additional",
      "affiliation": [
        {
          "name": "Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5241 Broad Branch Road, NW, Washington, DC 20015, USA."
        },
        {
          "name": "Max-Planck-Institut fu\u0308r Chemie (Otto-Hahn-Institut), Becherweg 27, D-55128 Mainz, Germany."
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "given": "Larry R.",
      "family": "Nittler",
      "sequence": "additional",
      "affiliation": [
        {
          "name": "Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5241 Broad Branch Road, NW, Washington, DC 20015, USA."
        },
        {
          "name": "Max-Planck-Institut fu\u0308r Chemie (Otto-Hahn-Institut), Becherweg 27, D-55128 Mainz, Germany."
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "member": "221",
  "reference": [
    {
      "key": "e_1_3_2_2_2",
      "first-page": "269",
      "year": "2003",
      "unstructured": "I. Gilmour, in Treatise on Geochemistry, Volume 1\u2014Meteorites, Comets, and Planets, H. D. Holland, K. K. Turekian, A. M. Davis, Eds. (Elsevier-Pergamon, Oxford, 2003), pp. 269\u2013290.",
      "journal-title": "Treatise on Geochemistry, Volume 1\u2014Meteorites, Comets, and Planets"
    },
    {
      "key": "e_1_3_2_3_2",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1111/j.1945-5100.2001.tb01948.x"
    },
    {
      "key": "e_1_3_2_4_2",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1046/j.1365-8711.2000.03618.x"
    },
    {
      "key": "e_1_3_2_5_2",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1086/340484"
    },
    {
      "key": "e_1_3_2_6_2",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1086/307973"
    },
    {
      "key": "e_1_3_2_7_2",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1111/j.1945-5100.1998.tb01667.x"
    },
    {
      "key": "e_1_3_2_8_2",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1051/0004-6361:20020037"
    },
    {
      "key": "e_1_3_2_9_2",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1038/35010053"
    },
    {
      "key": "e_1_3_2_10_2",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1126/science.1093283"
    },
    {
      "key": "e_1_3_2_11_2",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1023/A:1024629402715"
    },
    {
      "key": "e_1_3_2_12_2",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1016/j.gca.2003.07.019"
    },
    {
      "key": "e_1_3_2_13_2",
      "first-page": "1760",
      "year": "1998",
      "unstructured": "Y. Guan, A. Hofmeister, S. Messenger, R. M. Walker, Lunar Planet. Sci.XXIX, 1760 (1998).",
      "journal-title": "Lunar Planet. Sci."
    },
    {
      "key": "e_1_3_2_14_2",
      "unstructured": "See supporting material on Science Online."
    },
    {
      "key": "e_1_3_2_15_2",
      "first-page": "A15",
      "volume": "40",
      "year": "2005",
      "unstructured": "C. M. O'D. Alexander, M. L. Fogel, G. D. Cody, Meteorit. Planet. Sci.40, A15 (2005).",
      "journal-title": "Meteorit. Planet. Sci."
    },
    {
      "key": "e_1_3_2_16_2",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1016/S0012-821X(02)01153-6"
    },
    {
      "key": "e_1_3_2_17_2",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1126/science.290.5494.1142"
    },
    {
      "key": "e_1_3_2_18_2",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1023/A:1024651232758"
    },
    {
      "key": "e_1_3_2_19_2",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1023/A:1024637704533"
    },
    {
      "key": "e_1_3_2_20_2",
      "unstructured": "Large 15 N enrichments (up to \u03b4 15 N \u223c2500\u2030) have been found in CB and CH chondrites [e.g. ( 29 )]. However the origin of these anomalies is unknown and their carriers may be secondary phases."
    },
    {
      "key": "e_1_3_2_21_2",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1016/j.gca.2004.08.031"
    },
    {
      "key": "e_1_3_2_22_2",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1086/175031"
    },
    {
      "key": "e_1_3_2_23_2",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1126/science.1106717"
    },
    {
      "key": "e_1_3_2_24_2",
      "unstructured": "One 5-\u03bcm 2 region in EET 92042 IOM is isotopically anomalous in both N and C (\u03b4 15 N = 1150 \u00b1 40\u2030 \u03b4 13 C = \u2013113 \u00b1 14\u2030) a composition closely similar to a putative interstellar C grain reported in an IDP ( 9 ). All other observed C anomalies originate from presolar SiC grains ( 15 ) embedded in the samples."
    },
    {
      "key": "e_1_3_2_25_2",
      "first-page": "1326",
      "year": "2002",
      "unstructured": "R. N. Clayton, Lunar Planet. Sci.XXXIII, 1326 (2002).",
      "journal-title": "Lunar Planet. Sci."
    },
    {
      "key": "e_1_3_2_26_2",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1038/nature03947"
    },
    {
      "key": "e_1_3_2_27_2",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1051/0004-6361:20011130"
    },
    {
      "key": "e_1_3_2_28_2",
      "first-page": "774",
      "volume": "341",
      "year": "2005",
      "unstructured": "D. H. Wooden, D. E. Harker, A. J. Brearley, ASP Conf. Ser.341, 774 (2005).",
      "journal-title": "ASP Conf. Ser."
    },
    {
      "key": "e_1_3_2_29_2",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1016/j.icarus.2003.10.012"
    },
    {
      "key": "e_1_3_2_30_2",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1111/j.1945-5100.2001.tb01893.x"
    },
    {
      "key": "e_1_3_2_31_2",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1017/S1473550402001167"
    },
    {
      "key": "e_1_3_2_32_2",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1126/science.279.5357.1707"
    },
    {
      "key": "e_1_3_2_33_2",
      "unstructured": "Supported by grants from NASA's Cosmochemistry and Origins of the Solar System program (C.M.O'D.A. L.R.N.) and by the NASA Astrobiology Institute. We thank the NASA Meteorite Working Group for the Antarctic meteorites M. Zolensky for providing the Tagish Lake sample G. Cody for sample preparation assistance E. Gr\u00f6ner for technical assistance with NanoSIMS and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful constructive comments. A.F.Y. thanks B. Minarik for support through a NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates program at the Carnegie Institution of Washington."
    }
  ],
  "container-title": "Science",
  "original-title": [],
  "language": "en",
  "link": [
    {
      "URL": "https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.1123878",
      "content-type": "unspecified",
      "content-version": "vor",
      "intended-application": "similarity-checking"
    }
  ],
  "deposited": {
    "date-parts": [
      [
        2024,
        1,
        10
      ]
    ],
    "date-time": "2024-01-10T03:54:58Z",
    "timestamp": 1704858898000
  },
  "score": 1,
  "resource": {
    "primary": {
      "URL": "https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1123878"
    }
  },
  "subtitle": [],
  "short-title": [],
  "issued": {
    "date-parts": [
      [
        2006,
        5,
        5
      ]
    ]
  },
  "references-count": 32,
  "journal-issue": {
    "issue": "5774",
    "published-print": {
      "date-parts": [
        [
          2006,
          5,
          5
        ]
      ]
    }
  },
  "alternative-id": [
    "10.1126/science.1123878"
  ],
  "URL": "http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1123878",
  "relation": {},
  "ISSN": [
    "0036-8075",
    "1095-9203"
  ],
  "subject": [],
  "container-title-short": "Science",
  "published": {
    "date-parts": [
      [
        2006,
        5,
        5
      ]
    ]
  }
}