Pyrolisis of phosphorylated molecules and survivability limits during the atmospheric passage in earth-like planets

• DOI: 10.1016/j.pss.2003.12.006
• Publication Date: 2004-02-29T10:12:04Z
• Authors: Vicente Marcano; Pedro Benitez; Javier Campins; Paula Matheus; Cesyen Cedeño; Nelson Falcon; Ernesto Palacios-Prü
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; 03 medical and health sciences; Phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated nucleosides; 13. Climate action; Interplanetary dust; Pyrolisis; Atmospheric survivability; Organic delivery

Abstract There is evidence that space energy sources could give place to the appearance of phosphorylated nucleosides outside of Earth. These compounds may have been delivered mainly by interplanetary dust particles due to the lower temperatures experienced during atmospheric deceleration and impacts to the terrestrial surface. In this report, we communicate the results of pyrolytic studies to simulate atmospheric survivability of adenosine-5′-diphosphates (ADP) (and adenosine-5′-monophosphate, adenosine and adenine as degradation products) at temperatures 10 −5 m could resist temperatures up to 500°C generated during atmospheric entry. However, atmospheric passage should not exceed a time >150 s due to the thermal lability of these molecules. Because of the high half-life showed by ADP in the presence of meteoritic powder, it is thought that extraterrestrial delivery of very complex biomolecules is more suitable under such protected conditions. These data indicate that the formation of a Fe2+- and/or Ca2+-complex could increase the stability of the molecules in the presence of meteoritic matter. Therefore, if the synthesis of nucleosides, nucleotides or oligonucleotides could take place in icy bodies, then micron-sized dust could have contributed significantly to the availability of phosphorylated nucleosides in the early Earth or in extrasolar early Earth-like planets, and thereby could have allowed the arising of an early biological activity.