![Magnetite formation under prebiotically plausible conditions. a Envisioned evaporative lake setting on early Earth, where magnetite likely formed via authigenic precipitation facilitated either by solar irradiation or nitrogen oxide from the decomposition of abiotic nitrogen fixation products [62]. As these magnetite particles form, they acquire a natural remanent magnetization under the geomagnetic field. b Experimental setup used to reproduce early Earth conditions and investigate magnetite formation under UV-facilitated synthesis (samples UV1 to UV3) and c via nitrite oxidation of Fe(II) (samples NUV8 and NUV9). Samples NUV5 to NUV7 were synthesized by mixing Fe(II) and Fe(III) with different proportions (10%/90%, 50%/50% and 90%/10% of Fe(II)/Fe(III), respectively). -- physics.chem-ph](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Prebiotic-magnetite.png?resize=1200%2C721&ssl=1)
The emergence of biomolecular homochirality requires both an initial symmetry-breaking event and a mechanism to amplify and preserve a chiral imbalance.
physics.chem-ph
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Novel Chemical Pathways For The Formation Of Nucleobase Precursors Via Benzene π-Bond Addition To HCN
We propose a simple and efficient pathway for the formation of precursors to core nucleobases in DNA and RNA using a suite of computational chemistry methods.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Radiative Stabilization of the Indenyl Cation: Recurrent Fluorescence in a Closed-shell Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon
Several small polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with closed-shell electronic structure have been identified in the cold, dark environment Taurus Molecular Cloud-1.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Sea Foam Contains Hemoglycin From Cosmic Dust
In-falling cosmic dust has left evidence of meteoritic polymer amide in stromatolites, both fossil and modern.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Binding Energies of Ethanol and Ethylamine on Interstellar Water Ices: Synergy Between Theory and Experiments
Experimental and computational chemistry are two disciplines to conduct research in Astrochemistry, providing essential reference data for both astronomical observations and modeling. These approaches not only mutually support each other, […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Design and Implementation of a New Apparatus for Astrochemistry: Kinetic Measurements of the CH + OCS Reaction and Frequency Comb Spectroscopy in a Cold Uniform Supersonic Flow
We present the development of a new astrochemical research tool HILTRAC, the Highly Instrumented Low Temperature ReAction Chamber. The instrument is based on a pulsed form of the CRESU (Cinétique […]
![Chiral molecules can spin polarize magnetic surfaces due to the CISS effect. A. Electron density of a molecule approaching a surface is asymmetrically distributed and a transient charge dipole is created. Charge transport through chiral molecules is spin selective due to the CISS effect and therefore a spin-dipole along the chiral molecular axis accompanies this charge dipole. This transient spin dipole can couple with surface spins due to the spin-exchange interaction (J ≡ [E(↑↑) − E(↑↓)]) and spin polarize the surface along the chiral molecular axis. B. Schematic of the setup used in crystallization experiments for CD detection. Homochiral crystals of RAO are formed on magnetite from their enantiopure solution. These crystals align the magnetic domains under them and interact with the surface spins due to magnetic dipolar coupling—a weaker but longer range coupling compared to the spin-exchange interaction C. A sequence showing the effect of chiral molecules on the magnetic domains. 1 Initially, there is no net magnetization of the magnetic domains. 2 As a layer of RAO is forming, the spins underneath the layer align due to the strong spin-exchange interaction. This is an avalanche magnetization process: molecules align the surface spins and the aligned regions attract more molecules and get larger. 3 The mono-layer grows and covers more surface due to the attraction of chiral molecules to the aligned regions and crystal seeds start forming. 4 Crystals get larger and couple with the magnetic domains due to magnetic dipole-dipole interaction, Edd. D. If an external magnetic field, −→B, is applied, the domains outside the area covered by crystals magnetize. Yet the crystals preserve the magnetization of the domains under them as long as the energy of the dipolar coupling is larger than the magnetic energy. -- physics.chem-ph](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Chirality.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Chirality-Induced Magnetization of Magnetite by an RNA Precursor
Life is homochiral and homochirality is a fundamental feature of living systems on Earth. While the exact mechanism that led to homochirality is still not fully understood, any realistic scenario […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
The Central Dogma Of Biological Homochirality: How Does Chiral Information Propagate In A Prebiotic Network?
Biological systems are homochiral, raising the question of how a racemic mixture of prebiotically synthesized biomolecules could attain a homochiral state at the network level.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Icy Worlds, Press Release, Titan
Experimental Characterization Of The Pyridine:Acetylene Co-crystal and Implications For Titan’s Surface
Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, has a plethora of organic compounds in the atmosphere and on the surface that interact with each other.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Interstellar, Status Report
A Sequential Acid-base (SAB) Mechanism In The Interstellar Medium: The Emergence Of Cis Formic Acid In Dark Molecular Clouds
The abundance ratios between isomers of a COM observed in the ISM provides valuable information about the chemistry and physics of the gas and eventually, the history of molecular clouds.