Cosmic Ice Laboratory Marla Moore Reggie Hudson Paul Cooper Zach Pozen

Solar System Surfaces Comets Interstellar Icy Astrobiological Environments

Interstellar Grains as Reaction Sites

Hydrogen Flow UV-Photolysis Lamp Flux 5 x photon cm -2 s -1 Average energy 7.4 eV

p+p+ IR Spectrometer UV

Focus of Astrobiology Related Research Complex organic products from energetically processed nitriles Infrared Spectroscopy Chemical Analysis Oxygen/Ozone/Hydrogen Peroxide — Paul Cooper Student projects CH 4 C 2 H 4 O isomers OCS

Nitrile-CH 3 CN Acetonitrile has been detected on Titan, in cometary comae and in the ISM. If bombarded by radiation--- More complex molecules? Prebiotic molecules result— e.g.Amino acids ?

(Hudson & Moore, Icarus, 2004)  HNC, CH 2 =C=NH, HCN (?)  OCN −, CH 2 =C=NH, HCN (?), CO 2 (?) CH 3  C  N p+p+ H 2 O p + Nitriles  Complex Organics Infrared Spectroscopy ketenimine

Formation of Ketenimine and HCN A structural isomer: Energetic input gives rapid isomerization or cleavage of C- C bond ?

Formation of OCN - Polyatomic anion: Oxidation product of water and CH 3 CN Intermediate in oxidation to CO 2 Stabilized by resonance

Formation of Carbon Dioxide CO 2 is an oxidation product of OCN - ?

Room temperature residues Analysis of residue-- Search for amino acid synthesis MID IR Spectrum

Nitriles  Amino Acids Chemical Analysis  p+p+

Sample Aspartic Acid Glycine  Alanine Alanine  ABA  ABA

n-propylamine i- propylamine

Glycine

Work in Progress Finish analysis of residues, blanks, and analysis of higher temperature experiments. Publish results Search for cytosine and other pyrimidines

Progress Report 2005 Talks and Posters: Invited UMD Notre Dame RPI IAU-Asilomar PacifiChem Publications and Proposals: DPS- poster NAI-Boulder-2 posters AOGS-Singapore-co-organized 2 sesssions-2 talks NASA Laboratory Workshop-2 posters ACS-Atlanta-talk, 2 student posters AbSciCon-talk, poster Hudson and Moore 2 published 2 in press co-authored 1 book chapter co authors on A&A benzene related paper Hudson only, 1 in press 1 book chapter proposed and accepted (with astrobiology component) 1 AGU session proposed and accepted (with astrobiology connection)

Facilities: New electron gun has arrived Money for new optical bench has been received

Education outreach: Astrobiology courses taught

Mentored 3 students Zach Pozen 2 students from the US Naval Academy

www-691.gsfc.nasa.gov/cosmic.ice.lab Web page is up to date

Session 18---Tuesday 3:45 Ice Prebiotic Chemistry of Nitriles: Identification of Complex Organic Products Reggie Hudson

Uv and ion bombardment MeV Cosmic Ray Magnetospheric H + O n+, S n+ Bombardment Photolysis UV Photons Sputtering Radiolysis