Long- chain alkanes preserved in a Martian mudstone

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Freissinet, Caroline; Glavin, Daniel P.; Archer Jr, P. Douglas; Teinturier, Samuel; Buch, Arnaud; Szopa, Cyril; Lewis, James M. T.; Williams, Amy J.; Navarro-Gonzalez, Rafael; Dworkin, Jason P.; Franz, Heather. B.; Millan, Maeva; Eigenbrode, Jennifer L.; Summons, R. E.; House, Christopher H.; Williams, Ross H.; Steele, Andrew; McIntosha, Ophelie; Gomez, Felipe; Prats, Benito; Malespin, Charles A.; Mahaffy, Paul R.
• 署名单位: Universite Paris Saclay; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); Sorbonne Universite; National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA); NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA); Universities Space Research Association (USRA); Universite Paris Saclay; Howard University; National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA); NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; State University System of Florida; University of Florida; Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico; Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); University System of Maryland; University of Maryland College Park; Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC); CSIC - Centro de Astrobiologia (INTA); Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC)
• 刊物名称: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0027-13366
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2420580122
• 发表日期: 2025-04-01
• 关键词: rocknest aeolian deposit; gale crater; organic-molecules; abundances; sulfate; matter; acids; sam

摘要

Organic molecules preserved in ancient Martian rocks provide a critical record of the past habitability of Mars and could be chemical biosignatures. Experiments conducted by the Sample Analysis at Mars instrument onboard the Curiosity rover have previously reported several classes of indigenous chlorinated and sulfur-containing organic compounds in Gale crater sedimentary rocks, with chemical structures of up to six carbons. Here, we report the detection of decane (C10H22), undecane (C11H24), and dodecane (C12H26) at the tens of pmol level, released from the Cumberland drilled mudstone sample, using a modified SAM analytical procedure optimized for the detection of larger organic molecules. Laboratory experiments support the hypothesis that the alkanes detected were originally preserved in the mudstone as long-chain carboxylic acids. The origin of these molecules remains uncertain, as they could be derived from either abiotic or biological sources.