RUI: Synthesis of Sulfur Containing Amino Acids in Astrophysical Ices

化学系的化学结构、动力学和机制(CSDM-A)项目获得这一奖项，资助加州州立大学北岭分校的Simon Garrett教授研究如何在外星非生物环境中从小分子中形成氨基酸。他们正试图在实验室中通过辐射分解含有合适来源的天体物理冰类似物来合成氨基酸。这项工作是通过一系列适合本科生的相互关联的短期实验来进行的，为他们提供一种刺激的经验，这将鼓励他们在STEM领域攻读高级学位。研究生命是如何在地球上开始的，以及它是否在其他地方进化，可以引起公众和广大科学界的极大兴趣。加勒特教授和他的研究小组正在对真空中沉积的H2O、乙腈和H_2S或OCS的冰状混合物进行实验，这些混合物受到电子和He+的照射，并通过质谱学、红外光谱、X射线光电子能谱和液相色谱进行探测。该项目的中心目标是通过在冰中添加相关的硫源，成为第一个生产含硫氨基酸，特别是半胱氨酸和蛋氨酸的项目。尽管到目前为止，实验室在天体物理冰模拟实验中已经成功地产生了各种氨基酸前体，但含硫半胱氨酸和蛋氨酸还没有被研究出来，尽管它们在蛋白质功能和折叠方面具有重要意义。这项工作的另一个目标是通过形成一种强酸--硫酸来开创原位水解的先河，因为已知在生产氨基酸时必须对冰中的辐照残留物进行酸解。

With this award, the Chemical Structure, Dynamics and Mechanisms (CSDM-A) Program of the Division of Chemistry is funding Professor Simon Garrett of California State University-Northridge to investigate how amino acids can be formed from small molecules in extraterrestrial abiotic environments. They are attempting to synthesize amino acids in the laboratory by the radiolysis of astrophysical ice analogs containing suitable sources. The work is to proceed through a series of linked, short-term, experiments suitable for undergraduate students, providing them with a stimulating experience that will encourage enrollment in advanced degrees in STEM fields. Research that addresses the question of how life began on Earth and if it has evolved elsewhere can generate significant interest from the general public and the broad scientific community. Professor Garrett and his research group are conducting experiments on icy mixtures of H2O, acetonitrile and either H2S or OCS deposited in vacuum, irradiated by electrons and He+, and probed by mass spectrometry, infrared spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and liquid chromatography. A central goal of this project is to be the first to produce sulfur-containing amino acids, notably cysteine and methionine, by adding a relevant sulfur source to the ices. Although laboratory experiments in astrophysical ice analogs have successfully generated a variety of amino acid precursors to date, sulfur containing cysteine and methionine have not been made, despite their importance in protein function and folding. An additional goal of this work is to pioneer in situ hydrolysis through the formation of a strong acid, sulfuric acid, since acid hydrolysis of irradiation residues in the ice is known to be necessary in producing amino acids.