Effect of nontronite smectite clay on the chemical evolution of several organic molecules under simulated martian surface ultraviolet radiation conditions

Astrobiology
Olivier PochPatrice Coll

Abstract

Most of the phyllosilicates detected at the surface of Mars today are probably remnants of ancient environments that sustained long-term bodies of liquid water at the surface or subsurface and were possibly favorable for the emergence of life. Consequently, phyllosilicates have become the main mineral target in the search for organics on Mars. But are phyllosilicates efficient at preserving organic molecules under current environmental conditions at the surface of Mars? We monitored the qualitative and quantitative evolutions of glycine, urea, and adenine in interaction with the Fe(3+)-smectite clay nontronite, one of the most abundant phyllosilicates present at the surface of Mars, under simulated martian surface ultraviolet light (190-400 nm), mean temperature (218 ± 2 K), and pressure (6 ± 1 mbar) in a laboratory simulation setup. We tested organic-rich samples that were representative of the evaporation of a small, warm pond of liquid water containing a high concentration of organics. For each molecule, we observed how the nontronite influences its quantum efficiency of photodecomposition and the nature of its solid evolution products. The results reveal a pronounced photoprotective effect of nontronite on the evolution of ...Continue Reading

References

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Citations

Oct 21, 2016·Origins of Life and Evolution of the Biosphere : the Journal of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life·Punam DalaiStefan Fox
Oct 5, 2017·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Ben K D PearceThomas K Henning
Oct 28, 2018·Life·Santos Galvez-Martinez, Eva Mateo-Marti
Nov 13, 2020·Astrobiology·Laura RouquettePatrice Coll
Dec 31, 2020·Life·Andrea RaponiChristopher T Russell

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
X-ray
transmission electron microscopy

Software Mentioned

MOMIE

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