RUI: Synthesis of Sulfur Containing Amino Acids in Astrophysical Ices

With this award, the Chemical Structure, Dynamics and Mechanisms (CSDM-A) Program of the Division of Chemistry is funding Professor Simon Garrett of California State University-Northridge to investigate how amino acids can be formed from small molecules in extraterrestrial abiotic environments. They are attempting to synthesize amino acids in the laboratory by the radiolysis of astrophysical ice analogs containing suitable sources. The work is to proceed through a series of linked, short-term, experiments suitable for undergraduate students, providing them with a stimulating experience that will encourage enrollment in advanced degrees in STEM fields. Research that addresses the question of how life began on Earth and if it has evolved elsewhere can generate significant interest from the general public and the broad scientific community.

Professor Garrett and his research group are conducting experiments on icy mixtures of H2O, acetonitrile and either H2S or OCS deposited in vacuum, irradiated by electrons and He+, and probed by mass spectrometry, infrared spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and liquid chromatography. A central goal of this project is to be the first to produce sulfur-containing amino acids, notably cysteine and methionine, by adding a relevant sulfur source to the ices. Although laboratory experiments in astrophysical ice analogs have successfully generated a variety of amino acid precursors to date, sulfur containing cysteine and methionine have not been made, despite their importance in protein function and folding. An additional goal of this work is to pioneer in situ hydrolysis through the formation of a strong acid, sulfuric acid, since acid hydrolysis of irradiation residues in the ice is known to be necessary in producing amino acids.