Survival of gas phase amino acids and nucleobases in space radiation conditions

TL;DR

This study investigates how amino acids and nucleobases withstand space radiation, revealing amino acids are more susceptible to destruction, while nucleobases may survive in interstellar environments, supporting the potential presence of life's building blocks in space.

Contribution

The paper provides experimental data on the stability of amino acids and nucleobases under space-like radiation conditions using synchrotron radiation, highlighting differential survival rates.

Findings

Amino acids are 70-80% destroyed by VUV radiation.

Nucleobases are more resistant and may survive in space.

Nucleobases could exist as stable cations in the interstellar medium.

Abstract

We present experimental studies on the photoionization and photodissociation processes (photodestruction) of gaseous amino acids and nucleobases in interstellar and interplanetary radiation conditions analogs. The measurements have been undertaken at the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS), employing vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) and soft X-ray photons. The experimental set up basically consists of a time-of-flight mass spectrometer kept under high vacuum conditions. Mass spectra were obtained using photoelectron photoion coincidence technique. We have shown that the amino acids are effectively more destroyed (up to 70-80%) by the stellar radiation than the nucleobases, mainly in the VUV. Since polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have the same survival capability and seem to be ubiquitous in the ISM, it is not unreasonable to predict that nucleobases could survive in the interstellar medium and/or in comets, even as a stable cation.