Shock chemistry of amino acids: temperature dependence of the reactions

Abstract

Extraterrestrial materials such as meteorites, comets, and interplanetary dust particles contain varieties of organic matters, including amino acids, which is important for the origins of life. Thus, it has been proposed that the extraterrestrial materials delivered organic matters that are essential for the origins of life to the early Earth. However, to verify the extraterrestrial delivery of amino acids to the early Earth, it is necessary to examine the effect of shock wave on amino acids during the extraterrestrial impacts to the Earth. In the study, we conducted a series of shock experiments to amino acids at different temperatures to examine the dependence of the shock reactions of amino acids on pressure and temperature.