Organic indicators of alteration in the CR chondrites

A study of the organic components in the CR chondrite macromolecule in order to assess the role of pre-terrestrial alteration on the organic inventory

A Raman spectroscopic study of carbon phases in impact melt rocks and breccias from the Gardnos impact structure, Norway

Raman spectroscopy suggests that the C was emplaced in at least two separate episodes into the impactites of the Gardnos impact structure

Analysis of Tagish Lake macromolecular organic material

Macromolecular material is, by far, the major organic component of meteorites. Flash pyrolysis GCMS has been used to investigate this organic component in Tagish Lake. It is more condensed, less susbtituted than Murchson

Dual isotopic composition of methane in Murchison meteorite

Dual isotopic composition (H and C) of methane extracted from a small sample of Murchison meteorite reveals a deuterium enrichment for this molecule, indicating the presence of interstellar hydrogen

Macromolecular organic acids in the Murchison meteorite

This study has detected bound organic acids within the Murchison meteorite organic macromolecule. Benzoic acid was the most abundant compound; other abundant compounds include C1 and C2 benzoic acids. Their origin and significance will be discussed

Hydrogen isotopic composition of the Tagish Lake meteorite: comparison with other carbonaceous chondrites

A study into the hydrogen isotopic characteristics of whole rock samples of carbonaceous chondrites and their comparison with a whole rock sample of the Tagish Lake meteorite

The combustion characteristics and stable carbon isotopic compositions of irradiated organic matter: implications for terrestrial and extraterrestrial sample analysis

Exposure to ionizing radiation causes the mean combustion temperature of naturally occurring, solid, terrestrial organic matter, derived from the radiation-induced polymerization of methane, to increase

Organic-inorganic spatial relationships in carbonaceous chondrites

The use of a novel technique to determine the spatial relationships of organic and aqueously produced inorganic phases in carbonaceous chondrites, in order to support proposals of a genetic link between the two

Identification (or otherwise) of martian carbon in martian meteorites

One of the goals of current martian exploration is to search for evidence of extinct (or even extant) life. In recent years, this goal has been interpreted as a search for evidence of water on Mars’ surface. The success of instrumentation (high resolution cameras and infrared spectrometers) on orbiting spacecraft, coupled with in situ data from the MER rovers have revolutionized our understanding of the surface of Mars, the type of rocks and minerals pre-sent, and their stratigraphy [1 and subsequent papers]. It is clear that there has been extensive and intensive aqueous action at different periods in Mars’ history, and evidence for water is, to all intents and purposes, irrefutable. It is now time to define the next phase in the search for life as a search for regions of habitability on Mars [2]. A search for life could also be seen as a search for carbon, as one of the major assumptions that has been made in the search for life on Mars is that any life present is likely to be carbon-based