Centro de Astrobiología, INTA-CSIC, Ctra. de Ajalvir, km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz, 28850 Madrid, Spain.
Chem Soc Rev. 2013 Mar 7;42(5):2173-85. doi: 10.1039/c2cs35425j. Epub 2013 Jan 22.
A compendium of different solid carbonaceous materials detected in space is presented, focussing on the search for organic matter of prebiotic interest. This journey takes us from the carbon grains likely formed in the atmospheres of evolved stars to organic grain mantles made from ice processing thought to be present in dense interstellar clouds and circumstellar regions, making a stop in solar system objects that could have delivered organic species to the early Earth. The most abundant carbon materials detected to date in space appear to be of little biological relevance. On the other hand, organic refractory residues, made in the laboratory from UV-photoprocessing followed by warm-up of interstellar ice analogs, are a hydrocarbon material rich in O and N containing chemical compounds that could act as initiators of prebiotic chemistry. A similar material might be present in dust grains inside dense clouds or circumstellar regions, some comets, and as a minor component in carbonaceous chondrites. We use infrared spectroscopy as a tool to spot organic refractory matter in various space environments. The delivery of organic materials via comets, (micro-) meteorites, and interplanetary dust particles to the primitive Earth might have contributed as a starting material for prebiotic chemistry. To test this hypothesis, it is first essential to characterize the composition of exogenous organic matter.
呈现了不同的空间中检测到的固体含碳物质概要，重点是寻找具有前生物兴趣的有机物。这段旅程带我们从可能在演化恒星大气中形成的碳颗粒，到被认为存在于密集的星际云和原恒星区的冰处理形成的有机颗粒幔，在太阳系物体中停留，这些物体可能将有机物种输送到早期地球。迄今为止，在太空中检测到的最丰富的碳物质似乎与生物相关性不大。另一方面，由紫外线光处理后再进行星际冰类似物的升温实验在实验室中制造的有机难熔残留物，是一种富含 O 和 N 的碳氢化合物材料，含有可以作为前生物化学引发剂的化学化合物。类似的物质可能存在于密集云或原恒星区的尘埃颗粒中、一些彗星中，以及碳质球粒陨石中作为次要成分。我们使用红外光谱作为在各种空间环境中发现有机难熔物质的工具。有机物质通过彗星、（微）陨石和行星际尘埃颗粒输送到原始地球，可能作为前生物化学的起始材料。要验证这一假设，首先必须要对外源有机物的组成进行特征描述。
