Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-m6dg7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-18T16:44:05.018Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Delivery of Complex Organic Compounds from Planetary Nebulae to the Solar System

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 May 2009

Sun Kwok
Sun Kwok
Affiliation:
Faculty of Science, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong e-mail: sunkwok@hku.hk
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Infrared spectroscopic observations of planetary nebulae and proto-planetary nebulae have shown that complex organic compounds are synthesized in these objects over periods as short as a thousand years. These compounds are ejected into the interstellar medium and spread throughout the Galaxy. Evidence from meteorites has shown that these stellar grains have reached the Solar System, and may have showered the Earth during the heavy bombardment stage of the Early Earth. In this paper, we discuss the chemical structure of stellar organic grains and compare them to the organic matter found in meteorites, comets, asteroids, planetary satellites, and interplanetary particles. The possibility that the early Solar System was chemically enriched by organic compounds ejected from distant stars is presented.

Keywords

chemical synthesisinfrared spectroscopymeteoritesmolecular spectroscopyorigin of lifestellar evolution
Type
Research Article
Information
International Journal of Astrobiology , Volume 8 , Special Issue 3: Special issue Papers from ESLAB 2008 Symposium Cosmic Cataclysms and Life , July 2009 , pp. 161 - 167
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Arrhenius, S. (1908). Worlds in the Making. Harper, New York.Google Scholar
Becker, L., Poreda, R.J. & Bunch, T.E. (2000). Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 97, 2979–2983.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bernatowicz, T., Fraundorf, G., Tang, M., Anders, E., Wopenka, B., Zinner, E. & Fraundorf, P. (1987). Nature 330, 728–730.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cernicharo, J., Heras, A.M., Tielens, A.G.G.M., Pardo, J.R., Herpin, F., Guélin, M. & Waters, L.B.F.M. (2001). Astrophys. J. 546, L123–L126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chyba, C.F. & Sagan, C. (1992). Nature 355, 125–132.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chyba, C.F., Thomas, P.J., Brookshaw, L. & Sagan, C. (1990). Science 249, 366–373.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cody, G.D. & Alexander, C.M. O'D (2005). Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 69, 1085–1097.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cronin, J.R. & Chang, S. (1993). The Chemistry of Life's Origins. eds Greenberg, J.M., Mendoze-Gómez, C.X. & Pirronello, V., pp. 209–258. Kluwer, Dordrecht.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cronin, J.R., Pizzarello, S. & Frye, J.S. (1987). Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 51, 299–303.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cruikshank, D.P. (2008). Organic Matter in Space (IAU Symp. 251). eds Kwok, S. & Sandford, V., pp. 285–292. Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Cruikshank, D.P. et al. (2008). Icarus 193, 334–343.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deamer, D.W. (1997). Microbiol. Mol. Bio. Reviews 61, 239–261.Google Scholar
Duley, W.W. & Williams, D.A. (1981). Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 196, 269–274.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ehrenfreund, P. & Charnley, S.B. (2000). Ann. Rev. Astron. Astrophys. 38, 427–483.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ehrenfreund, P., Rasmussen, S., Cleaves, J. & Chen, L. (2006). Astrobiology 6, 490–520.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ehrenfreund, P., Robert, F., d'Henecourt, L. & Behar, F. (1991). Astron. Astrophys. 252, 712–717.Google Scholar
Ehrenfreund, P. et al. (2002). Rep. Prog. Phys. 65, 1427–1487.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flynn, G.J., Keller, L.P., Feser, M., Wirick, S. & Jacobsen, C. (2003). Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta 67, 4791–4806.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garcia-Lario, P., Manchado, A., Ulla, A. & Manteiga, M. (1999). Astrophys. J. 513, 941–946.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gradie, J. & Veverka, J. (1980). Nature 283, 840–842.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guillois, O., Nenner, I., Papoular, R. & Reynaud, C. (1996). Astrophys. J. 464, 810–817.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Haldane, J.B.S. (1929). The Origin of Life, Rationalist Annu. 148, 3–10.Google Scholar
Harris, S.J. & Weiner, A.M. (1985). Ann. Rev. Phys. Chem. 36, 31–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Henning, T. (2009). Interstellar Dust from Astronomical Observations to Fundamental Studies, Boulanger, F., Joblin, C., Jones, A. & Madden, S., EAS Publications Series 35, pp. 103–114. EAS.Google Scholar
Herlin, N., Boh, I., Reynaud, C., Cauchetier, M., Galvez, A. & Rouzaud, J.N. (1998). Astron. Astrophys. 330, 1127–1135.Google Scholar
Hoyle, F. & Wickramsinghe, N.C. (1977). Nature 268, 610–612.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hrivnak, B.J., Geballe, T.R. & Kwok, S. (2007). Astrophys. J. 662, 1059–1066.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hrivnak, B.J., Kwok, S. & Su, K.Y.L. (1999). Astrophys. J. 524, 849–856.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hrivnak, B.J., Volk, K. & Kwok, S. (2000). Astrophys. J. 535, 275–292.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hudgins, D.M., Bauschlicher, C.W. & Allamandola, L.J. (2005). Astrophys. J. 632, 316–332.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jäger, C., Mutschke, H., Henning, Th. & Huisken, F. (2008). Astrophys. J. 689, 249–259.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jones, A.P., Duley, W.W. & Williams, D.A. (1990). Q.J.R. Astron. Soc. 31, 567–582.Google Scholar
Jones, A.P., Tielens, A.G.G.M. & Hollenbach, D.J. (1996). Astrophys. J. 469, 740–764.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kerridge, J.F. (1999). Space Sci. Rev. 90, 275–288.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kring, D.A. (2008). NLSI Lunar Science Conference, held July 20–23, 2008 at NASA Ames Research Centre, Moffett Field, California, LPI Contribution No. 1415, abstract No. 2140.Google Scholar
Kwok, S. (1987). Phys. Reports 156(3), 113–146.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kwok, S. (1990). Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 244, 179–183.Google Scholar
Kwok, S. (2000). The Origin and Evolution of Planetary Nebulae. Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kwok, S., Volk, K. & Bernath, P. (2001). Astrophys. J. 554, L87–L90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kwok, S., Volk, K. & Bidelman, W.P. (1997). Astrophys. J. Suppl. 112, 557–584.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kwok, S., Volk, K. & Hrivnak, B.J. (1999). Astron. Astrophys. 350, L35–L38.Google Scholar
Lewis, R.S., Tang, M., Wacker, J.F., Anders, E. & Steel, E. (1987). Nature 326, 160–162.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martins, Z., Botta, O., Fogel, M. L., Sephton, M. A., Glavin, D. P., Watson, J. S., Dworkin, J. P., Schwartz, A. W., Ehrenfreund, P. (2008). Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 270, 130–136.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mennella, V., Colangeli, L., Palumbo, P., Rotundi, A., Schutte, W. & Bussoletti, E. (1996). Astrophys. J. 464, L191–L94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Messenger, S., Keller, L.P., Stadermann, F.J., Walker, R.M. & Zinner, E. (2003). Science 300, 105–108.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, S.L. (1953). Science 117, 528–529.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, S.L. & Urey, H.C. (1959). Science 130, 245.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nagashima, K., Krot, A.N. & Yurimoto, H. (2004). Nature 428, 921–924.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nakamura-Messenger, K., Messenger, S., Keller, L.P., Clemett, S.J. & Zolensky, M.E. (2006). Science 314, 1439–1442.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nguyen, A.N. & Zinner, E. (2004). Science 303, 1496–1499.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nittler, L.R., Alexander, C.M.O'D., Gzo, X., Walker, R.M. & Zinner, E. (1997). Astrophys. J. 483, 475–495.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oparin, A.I. (1938). The Origin of Life. MacMillan, New York.Google Scholar
Papoular, R. (2001). Astron. Astrophys. 378, 597–607.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pendleton, Y.J. & Allamandola, L.J. (2002). Astrophys. J. Suppl. 138, 75–98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Posch, T., Kerschbaum, F., Mutschke, H., Fabian, D., Dorschner, J. & Hron, J. (1999). Astron. Astrophys. 352, 609–618.Google Scholar
Posch, Th., Kerschbaum, F., Mutschke, H., Dorschner, J. & Jäger, C. (2002). Astron. Astrophys. 393, L7–L10.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Russell, R.W., Soifer, B.T. & Willner, S.P. (1977). Astrophys. J. 217, L149–L153.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sakata, A., Wada, S., Onaka, T. & Tokunaga, A.T. (1987). Astrophys. J., 320, L63–L67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sakata, A., Wada, S., Tanabé, T. & Onaka, T. (1984). Astrophys. J. 287, L51–L54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schönberner, D. (1983). Astrophys. J. 272, 708–714.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Suess, H.E. (1965). Ann. Rev. Astron. Astrophys. 3, 217–234.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Volk, K.M. & Kwok, S. (1989). Astrophys. J., 342, 345–363.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Volk, K., Xiong, G.-Z. & Kwok, S. (2000). Astrophys. J. 530, 408–417.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wooden, D.H., Harker, D.E., Woodward, C.E., Butner, H.M., Koike, C., Witteborn, F.C. & McMurty, C.W. (1999). Astrophys. J. 517, 1034–1058.CrossRefGoogle Scholar