The simplest amino acid (carbamine) can be formed in the earliest and coldest stages of star formation. This substance is necessary for the emergence of life. The research was published in the journal ACS Center for Science.
One hypothesis is that amino acids, the important building blocks of living organisms, may have formed in “primordial soup” reactions on Earth. Another theory suggests that they may have reached the Earth’s surface via meteors. However, it is not known where and under what conditions these substances may occur. As the authors of the new study found, amino acids can form in interstellar ice close to the formation of stars and planets.
Scientists have created models of interstellar ice containing ammonia and carbon dioxide. They applied them to a silver substrate and then began heating them slowly. They found that carbamic acid and ammonium carbamate began to form at -389 °C. The result means that these molecules, which can be converted into more complex amino acids, can form in the earliest and coldest stages of star formation.
Additionally, the researchers discovered that two molecules of carbamic acid can bond together at higher temperatures, consistent with the conditions of a newly forming star. Scientists think that these molecules may have arrived on the early Earth via comets or meteorites.
The results can be used to train deep space instruments, including the James Webb Space Telescope, to search for molecules essential for life in distant regions of the Universe.
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