Ribose and related sugars from ultraviolet irradiation of interstellar ice analogs

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 352; no. 6282; pp. 208 - 212
• Main Authors: Meinert, Cornelia, Myrgorodska, Iuliia, de Marcellus, Pierre, Buhse, Thomas, Nahon, Laurent, Hoffmann, Søren V., Le Sergeant d'Hendecourt, Louis, Meierhenrich, Uwe J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Association for the Advancement of Science 08.04.2016; The American Association for the Advancement of Science; American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
• Subjects: Acetic Acid - chemistry; Ammonia - chemistry; Analytical chemistry; Arabinose - chemical synthesis; Astrobiology; Astrophysics; Chemical Sciences; Cosmic Radiation; Extraterrestrial Environment; Ice; Meteoroids; Molecular biology; Origin of Life; Pentoses - chemical synthesis; Photochemical Processes; Physics; Prebiotics; Ribonucleic acid; Ribose - chemical synthesis; RNA; RNA - chemistry; Ultraviolet Rays; Xylose - chemical synthesis
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.aad8137

Ribose is the central molecular subunit in RNA, but the prebiotic origin of ribose remains unknown. We observed the formation of substantial quantities of ribose and a diversity of structurally related sugar molecules such as arabinose, xylose, and lyxose in the room-temperature organic residues of photo-processed interstellar ice analogs initially composed of H₂O, CH₃OH, and NH₃. Our results suggest that the generation of numerous sugar molecules, including the aldopentose ribose, may be possible from photochemical and thermal treatment of cosmic ices in the late stages of the solar nebula. Our detection of ribose provides plausible insights into the chemical processes that could lead to formation of biologically relevant molecules in suitable planetary environments.