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

在这个研究项目中，我们研究了富碳流星体超高速撞击富氮大气的原始地球时发生的化学反应过程。对模拟这种陨石碰撞的碰撞实验进行的带通滤波成像观测，使我们能够定量地描述热碰撞碎片蒸发成有机气体并通过与周围富N_2大气反应形成CN自由基的过程。对最终气体产物的分析表明，会产生大量的HCN，这有力地表明，可以通过陨石撞击合成在室温和压力下稳定的、对生命起源重要的氰化物。

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.