Organic synthesis on Mars by electrochemical reduction of CO2

Steele, A.; Benning, L. G.; Wirth, R.; Siljeström, S.; Fries, M. D.; Hauri, E.; Conrad, P. G.; Rogers, K.; Eigenbrode, J.; Schreiber, A.; Needham, A.; Wang, J. H.; McCubbin, F. M.; Kilcoyne, D.; Rodriguez Blanco, Juan Diego

doi:10.1126/sciadv.aat5118

Title: Organic synthesis on Mars by electrochemical reduction of CO₂

Journal Article · Wed Oct 31 00:00:00 EDT 2018 · Science Advances

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aat5118· OSTI ID:1494088

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Carnegie Inst. for Science, Washington, DC (United States)
German Research Centre for Geosciences, GFZ, Telegrafenberg (Germany); Free University of Berlin (Germany); University of Leeds (United Kingdom)
German Research Centre for Geosciences, GFZ, Telegrafenberg (Germany)
RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Stockholm (Sweden)
NASA, Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX (United States)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst., Troy, NY (United States)
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD (United States)
USRA–Science and Technology Institute, Huntsville, AL (United States)
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
University of Leeds (United Kingdom); Trinity College Dublin (Ireland)

The sources and nature of organic carbon on Mars have been a subject of intense research. Steele et al. (2012) showed that 10 martian meteorites contain macromolecular carbon phases contained within pyroxene- and olivine-hosted melt inclusions. Here, we show that martian meteorites Tissint, Nakhla, and NWA 1950 have an inventory of organic carbon species associated with fluid-mineral reactions that are remarkably consistent with those detected by the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission. We advance the hypothesis that interactions among spinel-group minerals, sulfides, and a brine enable the electrochemical reduction of aqueous CO₂ to organic molecules. Although documented here in martian samples, a similar process likely occurs wherever igneous rocks containing spinel-group minerals and/or sulfides encounter brines.

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Research Organization:: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-05CH11231

OSTI ID:: 1494088

Journal Information:: Science Advances, Vol. 4, Issue 10; ISSN 2375-2548

Publisher:: AAASCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Cited by: 49 works

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