2023-08-21 12:54:30
The main theories proposed to explain the origin of life they are based on the development of prebiotic chemistry that took place during the early phases of the formation of our planet. It is thought that a fundamental part of the prebiotic ingredients could have reached a young Earth aboard comets and meteorites formed in the nebula where the solar system was born.
Carbonic acid has been found in the molecular cloud G+0.693-0.027 in the center of our galaxy.
understand what prebiotic molecules are present in the interstellar medium, the natal material that will form new stars and planets, may be crucial to understanding how life could have arisen on our planet. However, for several families of molecular compounds, such as the carboxylic acidswhich are closely related to prebiotic chemistry, the census of species detected in space has remained intact for almost a quarter of a century.
In this context, the carbonic acid (H₂CO₃ or HOCOOH) has received great attention in recent years, since its presence has been suggested in various objects in the solar system such as the icy moons of Jupiter, the north pole of Mercury, or even on the surface or atmosphere of Mars. However, to date there was no clear evidence to corroborate its extraterrestrial existence.
Present in soft drinks
On Earth, it is necessary to highlight the importance of carbonic acid within the carbon cycle and its involvement in biological and geochemical processes, highlighting its role in the anthropogenic origin of ocean acidification. In addition, it is a compound that we constantly encounter in our daily lives, being responsible for the characteristic bubbling when opening a bottle or can of any fizzy drink (when it breaks down into CO2 and water).
Its presence on Jupiter, Mercury and Mars has been suggested, but until now there was no evidence to corroborate the extraterrestrial existence of this compound.
Recently, in an international study published in The Astrophysical Journal the discovery is presented in the space of the carbonic acid. The work is led by the researcher Miguel Sanz-Novo of the Center for Astrobiology (CAB, CSIC-INTA) within the framework of a project with the University of Valladolid (UVa) and NextGeneration funds from the European Union.
It is the first interstellar molecule that contains three oxygen atoms in its structure and also the third carboxylic acid detected in the interstellar medium to date, after formic acid (identified in 1971) and acetic acid (detected in 1997).
With radio telescopes in Granada and Guadalajara
To detect this elusive molecule, the team of researchers turned their attention to the center of our Milky Way, specifically to the molecular cloud G+0.693-0.027. They used new astronomical data from a large observational project led by the CAB, recorded with two radio telescopes located on national soil, the 30 meter IRAM in diameter of Pico Veleta (Granada) and that of 40 meters from the Yebes Observatory of the National Geographic Institute (Guadalajara).
To confirm the presence of molecules in the interstellar medium, the researchers compare the signals received by the radio telescopes with the ‘fingerprints of molecules‘ (their rotational spectra), previously determined in the laboratory.
In the case of carbonic acid, knowledge of its traces was very limited, so scientists have used the molecular cloud G+0.693-0.027 as a natural laboratory for its determination.
“Space is a wonderful laboratory. We were able to detect several pairs of clear and completely clean spectroscopic signals directly in the radio astronomical data, unequivocally confirming the presence of carbonic acid in the interstellar medium and even completing its experimental characterization,” says Sanz-Novo, who studied interstellar molecules during his thesis. in the grape
The discovery of carbonic acid confirms that the chemical processes that take place in interstellar regions are more complex than previously thought.
The discovery of carbonic acid confirms that the chemical processes taking place in interstellar regions are more complex and diverse than previously thought.
“Our observations have allowed us to know that carbonic acid, which until now had remained invisible to “our eyes”, is relatively abundant in space, which makes it an essential piece to understand the interstellar chemistry of carbon and oxygen, two of the fundamental chemical elements in any prebiotic process”, points out the co-author Victor M. Rivilla.
This Ramón y Cajal researcher, also from the CAB, concludes: “This result confirms that the path we have chosen is the right one to search for and detect more molecules that we suspect were key to the appearance of life on our planet.”
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