Jia Wang, Anatoliy A Nikolayev, Joshua H Marks, Andrew M Turner, Sankhabrata Chandra, N Fabian Kleimeier, Leslie A Young, Alexander M Mebel, Ralf I Kaiser
{"title":"星际形成的氮杂芳族化合物[吲哚,C8H7N;吡咯,C4H5N;苯胺,C6H5NH2]:氨基酸和核碱基的关键前体。","authors":"Jia Wang, Anatoliy A Nikolayev, Joshua H Marks, Andrew M Turner, Sankhabrata Chandra, N Fabian Kleimeier, Leslie A Young, Alexander M Mebel, Ralf I Kaiser","doi":"10.1021/jacs.4c09449","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Nitrogen-substituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs) are not only fundamental building blocks in the prebiotic synthesis of vital biomolecules such as amino acids and nucleobases of DNA and RNA but also a potential source of the prominent unidentified 6.2 μm interstellar absorption band. Although NPAHs have been detected in meteorites and are believed to be ubiquitous in the universe, their formation mechanisms in deep space have remained largely elusive. Here, we report the first bottom-up formation pathways to the simplest prototype of NPAHs, indole (C<sub>8</sub>H<sub>7</sub>N), along with its building blocks pyrrole (C<sub>4</sub>H<sub>5</sub>N) and aniline (C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>5</sub>NH<sub>2</sub>) in low-temperature model interstellar ices composed of acetylene (C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>2</sub>) and ammonia (NH<sub>3</sub>). Utilizing the isomer-selective techniques of resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization and tunable vacuum ultraviolet photoionization reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometry, indole, pyrrole, and aniline were identified in the gas phase, suggesting that they are promising candidates for future astronomical searches in star-forming regions. Our laboratory experiments utilizing infrared spectroscopy and mass spectrometry in tandem with electronic structure calculations reveal critical insights into the reaction pathways toward NPAHs and their precursors, thus advancing our fundamental understanding of the interstellar formation of aromatic proteinogenic amino acids and nucleobases, key classes of molecules central to the <i>Origins of Life</i>.</p>","PeriodicalId":49,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Chemical Society","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":14.4000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":"{\"title\":\"Interstellar Formation of Nitrogen Heteroaromatics [Indole, C<sub>8</sub>H<sub>7</sub>N; Pyrrole, C<sub>4</sub>H<sub>5</sub>N; Aniline, C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>5</sub>NH<sub>2</sub>]: Key Precursors to Amino Acids and Nucleobases.\",\"authors\":\"Jia Wang, Anatoliy A Nikolayev, Joshua H Marks, Andrew M Turner, Sankhabrata Chandra, N Fabian Kleimeier, Leslie A Young, Alexander M Mebel, Ralf I Kaiser\",\"doi\":\"10.1021/jacs.4c09449\",\"DOIUrl\":null,\"url\":null,\"abstract\":\"<p><p>Nitrogen-substituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs) are not only fundamental building blocks in the prebiotic synthesis of vital biomolecules such as amino acids and nucleobases of DNA and RNA but also a potential source of the prominent unidentified 6.2 μm interstellar absorption band. Although NPAHs have been detected in meteorites and are believed to be ubiquitous in the universe, their formation mechanisms in deep space have remained largely elusive. Here, we report the first bottom-up formation pathways to the simplest prototype of NPAHs, indole (C<sub>8</sub>H<sub>7</sub>N), along with its building blocks pyrrole (C<sub>4</sub>H<sub>5</sub>N) and aniline (C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>5</sub>NH<sub>2</sub>) in low-temperature model interstellar ices composed of acetylene (C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>2</sub>) and ammonia (NH<sub>3</sub>). Utilizing the isomer-selective techniques of resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization and tunable vacuum ultraviolet photoionization reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometry, indole, pyrrole, and aniline were identified in the gas phase, suggesting that they are promising candidates for future astronomical searches in star-forming regions. Our laboratory experiments utilizing infrared spectroscopy and mass spectrometry in tandem with electronic structure calculations reveal critical insights into the reaction pathways toward NPAHs and their precursors, thus advancing our fundamental understanding of the interstellar formation of aromatic proteinogenic amino acids and nucleobases, key classes of molecules central to the <i>Origins of Life</i>.</p>\",\"PeriodicalId\":49,\"journal\":{\"name\":\"Journal of the American Chemical Society\",\"volume\":null,\"pages\":null},\"PeriodicalIF\":14.4000,\"publicationDate\":\"2024-10-07\",\"publicationTypes\":\"Journal Article\",\"fieldsOfStudy\":null,\"isOpenAccess\":false,\"openAccessPdf\":\"\",\"citationCount\":\"0\",\"resultStr\":null,\"platform\":\"Semanticscholar\",\"paperid\":null,\"PeriodicalName\":\"Journal of the American Chemical Society\",\"FirstCategoryId\":\"92\",\"ListUrlMain\":\"https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c09449\",\"RegionNum\":1,\"RegionCategory\":\"化学\",\"ArticlePicture\":[],\"TitleCN\":null,\"AbstractTextCN\":null,\"PMCID\":null,\"EPubDate\":\"\",\"PubModel\":\"\",\"JCR\":\"Q1\",\"JCRName\":\"CHEMISTRY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY\",\"Score\":null,\"Total\":0}","platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of the American Chemical Society","FirstCategoryId":"92","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c09449","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"CHEMISTRY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
Interstellar Formation of Nitrogen Heteroaromatics [Indole, C8H7N; Pyrrole, C4H5N; Aniline, C6H5NH2]: Key Precursors to Amino Acids and Nucleobases.
Nitrogen-substituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs) are not only fundamental building blocks in the prebiotic synthesis of vital biomolecules such as amino acids and nucleobases of DNA and RNA but also a potential source of the prominent unidentified 6.2 μm interstellar absorption band. Although NPAHs have been detected in meteorites and are believed to be ubiquitous in the universe, their formation mechanisms in deep space have remained largely elusive. Here, we report the first bottom-up formation pathways to the simplest prototype of NPAHs, indole (C8H7N), along with its building blocks pyrrole (C4H5N) and aniline (C6H5NH2) in low-temperature model interstellar ices composed of acetylene (C2H2) and ammonia (NH3). Utilizing the isomer-selective techniques of resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization and tunable vacuum ultraviolet photoionization reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometry, indole, pyrrole, and aniline were identified in the gas phase, suggesting that they are promising candidates for future astronomical searches in star-forming regions. Our laboratory experiments utilizing infrared spectroscopy and mass spectrometry in tandem with electronic structure calculations reveal critical insights into the reaction pathways toward NPAHs and their precursors, thus advancing our fundamental understanding of the interstellar formation of aromatic proteinogenic amino acids and nucleobases, key classes of molecules central to the Origins of Life.
期刊介绍:
The flagship journal of the American Chemical Society, known as the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS), has been a prestigious publication since its establishment in 1879. It holds a preeminent position in the field of chemistry and related interdisciplinary sciences. JACS is committed to disseminating cutting-edge research papers, covering a wide range of topics, and encompasses approximately 19,000 pages of Articles, Communications, and Perspectives annually. With a weekly publication frequency, JACS plays a vital role in advancing the field of chemistry by providing essential research.