Experimental estimation of HCN production rate due to meteoritic impacts in the primordial Earth atmosphere

在这个研究项目中，我们研究了富碳陨石体在具有富n2大气的原始地球上高速撞击时发生的化学反应过程。模拟陨石碰撞的撞击实验的带滤成像观测使我们定量地描述了热的撞击碎片通过与周围富含n_2的大气反应蒸发成有机气体并形成CN自由基的过程。对最终气体产品的分析表明，产生了大量的HCN，这强烈表明，氰化物可以通过陨石撞击合成，这种化合物在室温和压力下是稳定的，对生命的起源很重要。

In this research project, we studied chemical reaction processes that occur during hypervelocity impacts of carbon-rich meteoritic bodies to primordial Earth with an N2-rich atmosphere. Band-filter imaging observations of impact experiments simulating such meteoritic collisions allowed us quantitatively describe the processes that hot impact fragments evaporates to organic gas and form CN radical through reaction with a surrounding N_2-rich atmosphere. Analyses of final gas product have revealed that significant amounts of HCN are produced, strongly suggesting that cyanic compounds, which are stable in room temperature and pressure and important in the origin of life, can be synthesized by meteoritic impacts.