2025-03-25 フランス国立科学研究センター（CNRS）
© NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
＜関連情報＞
- https://www.cnrs.fr/en/press/organic-molecules-unprecedented-size-discovered-mars
- https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2420580122
火星の泥岩に保存された長鎖アルカン Long-chain alkanes preserved in a Martian mudstone
Caroline Freissinet, Daniel P. Glavin, P. Douglas Archer Jr., +18 , and Paul R. Mahaffy
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Published:March 24, 2025
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2420580122
Significance
Decane, undecane, and dodecane were detected in a Martian sample at the tens of pmol level and may originate from long-chain carboxylic acids. The detection of long-chain alkanes in the Sheepbed mudstone is important for extending studies of habitability on Mars as the Curiosity rover continues to map out windows of high preservation potential for chemically reduced organic compounds. The provenance and distribution of these molecules are of high interest in the search for potential biosignatures on Mars.
Abstract
Organic molecules preserved in ancient Martian rocks provide a critical record of the past habitability of Mars and could be chemical biosignatures. Experiments conducted by the Sample Analysis at Mars instrument onboard the Curiosity rover have previously reported several classes of indigenous chlorinated and sulfur-containing organic compounds in Gale crater sedimentary rocks, with chemical structures of up to six carbons. Here, we report the detection of decane (C10H22), undecane (C11H24), and dodecane (C12H26) at the tens of pmol level, released from the Cumberland drilled mudstone sample, using a modified SAM analytical procedure optimized for the detection of larger organic molecules. Laboratory experiments support the hypothesis that the alkanes detected were originally preserved in the mudstone as long-chain carboxylic acids. The origin of these molecules remains uncertain, as they could be derived from either abiotic or biological sources.
