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The Amino Acid Composition of the Sutter's Mill Carbonaceous ChondriteIn contrast to the Murchison meteorite which had a complex distribution of amino acids with a total C2 to Cs amino acid abundance of approx.14,000 parts-per-billion (ppb) [2], the Sutters Mill meteorite was found to be highly depleted in amino acids. Much lower abundances (approx.30 to 180 ppb) of glycine, beta-alanine, L-alanine and L-serine were detected in SM2 above procedural blank levels indicating that this meteorite sample experienced only minimal terrestrial amino acid contamination after its fall to Earth. Carbon isotope measurements will be necessary to establish the origin of glycine and beta-alanine in SM2. Other non-protein amino acids that are rare on Earth, yet commonly found in other CM meteorites such as aaminoisobutyric acid (alpha-AIB) and isovaline, were not identified in SM2. However, traces of beta-AIB (approx.1 ppb) were detected in SM2 and could be" extraterrestrial in origin. The low abundances of amino acids in the Sutter's Mill meteorite is consistent with mineralogical evidence that at least some parts of the Sutter's Mill meteorite parent body experienced extensive aqueous and/or thermal alteration.
Document ID
20120017947
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Presentation
Authors
Glavin, D. P.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Burton, A. S.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Elsila, J. E.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Dworkin, J. P.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Yin, Q. Z.
(California Univ. Davis, CA, United States)
Cooper, G.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Jenniskens, P.
(Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Inst. Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 25, 2013
Publication Date
August 12, 2012
Subject Category
Astrophysics
Report/Patent Number
GSFC.OVPR.6657.2012
Meeting Information
Meeting: 75th Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society
Location: Cairns
Country: Australia
Start Date: August 12, 2012
End Date: August 17, 2012
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
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