Characterization of Soluble Organics in Carbonaceous Meteorites by Ultrahigh Resolution Mass Spectrometry and Isotope Analysis

Carbonaceous chondrites (CCs) are known to contain a complex suite of soluble and insoluble organic molecules that seem to share a common genetic heritage with organic matter in interplanetary dust particles and comets. To better understand the origin of organic matter in CCs and to better evaluate the importance of exogenous delivery to prebiotic chemistry, a more complete understanding of the organic inventory of CCs is necessary. The investigators will use ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry (UHRMS) with high throughput screening methods to examine the soluble organic matter in a large set of CCs. This will be coordinated with bulk elemental and isotopic measurements of (1) the soluble and insoluble organic matter, and (2) the bulk meteorites before and after leaching. The investigators will also explore the possibility of using the total soluble organics as a fast and simple method of meteorite classification.