Publication Type Journal Article
Title Amino acid analyses of Antarctic CM2 meteorites using liquid chromatography-time of flight-mass spectrometry
Authors Daniel P. Glavin Jason P. Dworkin Andrew Aubrey Oliver Botta III Doty Zita Martins Jeffrey L. Bada
Groups
Journal METEORITICS \& PLANETARY SCIENCE
Year 2006
Month June
Volume 41
Number 6
Pages 889-902
Abstract Amino acid analyses of the Antarctic CM2 chondrites Allan Hills (ALH) 83100 and Lewis Cliff (LEW) 90500 using liquid chromatography-time of flight-mass spectrometry (LC-ToF-MS) Coupled with UV fluorescence detection revealed that these carbonaceous meteorites contain a suite of indigenous amino acids not present in Antarctic ice. Several amino acids were detected in ALH 83100, including glycine, alanine, beta-alanine, gamma-amino-n-butyric acid (gamma-ABA), and alpha-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB) with concentrations ranging from 250 to 340 parts per billion (ppb). In contrast to ALH 83 100, the CM2 meteorites LEW 90500 and Murchison had a much higher total abundance of these amino acids (440-3200 ppb). In addition, ALL! 83 100 was found to have lower abundances of the alpha-dialkyl amino acids AIB and isovaline than LEW 90500 and Murchison. There are three possible explanations for the depleted amino, acid content in ALH 83100: 1) amino acid leaching from ALH 83100 during exposure to Antarctic ice meltwater, 2) a higher degree of aqueous alteration on the ALH 83 100 parent body, or 3) ALH 83 100 originated on a chemically distinct parent body from the other two CM2 meteorites. The high relative abundance of epsilon-amino-n-caproic acid (EACA) in the ALH 83100 meteorite as well as the Antarctic ice indicates that Nylon-6 contamination from the Antarctic sample storage bags may have occurred during collection.
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1945-5100.2006.tb00493.x
ISBN
Publisher
Book Title
ISSN 1086-9379
EISSN
Conference Name
Bibtex ID ISI:000238184000006
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