Organic synthesis on Mars by electrochemical reduction of CO2
Abstract
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.
- Authors:
-
[1];
[2];
[4];
[1];
[1];
[6];
[7];
[8];
[1];
[9];
[10]
- 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)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1494088
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-05CH11231
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Science Advances
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 4; Journal Issue: 10; Journal ID: ISSN 2375-2548
- Publisher:
- AAAS
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 58 GEOSCIENCES; 37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
Citation Formats
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., and Rodriguez Blanco, Juan Diego. Organic synthesis on Mars by electrochemical reduction of CO2. United States: N. p., 2018.
Web. doi:10.1126/sciadv.aat5118.
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. Organic synthesis on Mars by electrochemical reduction of CO2. United States. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aat5118
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., and Rodriguez Blanco, Juan Diego. Wed .
"Organic synthesis on Mars by electrochemical reduction of CO2". United States. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aat5118. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1494088.
@article{osti_1494088,
title = {Organic synthesis on Mars by electrochemical reduction of CO2},
author = {Steele, A. and Benning, L. G. and Wirth, R. and Siljeström, S. and Fries, M. D. and Hauri, E. and Conrad, P. G. and Rogers, K. and Eigenbrode, J. and Schreiber, A. and Needham, A. and Wang, J. H. and McCubbin, F. M. and Kilcoyne, D. and Rodriguez Blanco, Juan Diego},
abstractNote = {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.},
doi = {10.1126/sciadv.aat5118},
journal = {Science Advances},
number = 10,
volume = 4,
place = {United States},
year = {2018},
month = {10}
}
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Figures / Tables:
Fig. 1: Light and CRIS of the relationship between magnetite and MMC in the meteorites studied. (A) Transmitted light microscopy image of a darkened area within maskelynite, entrained in the subsurface to the thin section in NWA 1950 (scale bar, 100 μm). The red box indicates the area for three-dimensionalmore »
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Works referencing / citing this record:
Indigenous Organic‐Oxidized Fluid Interactions in the Tissint Mars Meteorite
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