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Aliphatic amines in the Murchison meteorite

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Abstract

ANALYSES of the organic compounds found in the Murchison meteorite, a C2 chondrite that fell in Australia in 1969, have provided much new information about extraterrestrial organic chemical evolution. The soluble fraction of this meteorite has been shown to contain aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons1–4, mono-5 and dicarboxylic acids6 and various nitrogen-containing organic compounds. The latter include both amino acids2,3,7–9 and nitrogen-heterocyclic compounds10–11. The presence of amines, ureas and amides has been suggested11, although no individual compounds from these classes have been identified. Here we report the determination of aliphatic amines in water extracts of the Murchison meteorite.

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Author notes

  1. GREGORY JUNGCLAUS

    Present address: Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Center for Meteorite Studies, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, 85281

    GREGORY JUNGCLAUS, JOHN R. CRONIN, CARLETON B. MOORE & GEORGE U. YUEN

Authors
  1. GREGORY JUNGCLAUS
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  2. JOHN R. CRONIN
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  3. CARLETON B. MOORE
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  4. GEORGE U. YUEN
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JUNGCLAUS, G., CRONIN, J., MOORE, C. et al. Aliphatic amines in the Murchison meteorite. Nature 261, 126–128 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/261126a0

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