Organic Geochemistry of Meteorites

Primitive meteorites contain significant amounts of carbon, the majority of which is present as organic matter. Low molecular weight compound classes include aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, amino acids, nucleic acid bases, carboxylic acids, phosphonic acids, sulfonic acids, sugar-related compounds, and organohalogens. Yet, the low molecular weight compounds are minor components relative to a high molecular weight, predominantly aromatic network. Some of the organic matter exists in morphologically distinct microvesicles or nanoglobules and appears to associate with clay minerals in the matrix. As bona fide prebiotic organic compounds, the meteoritic organic matter provides valuable insights into the chemical evolution in the early solar system and the reactions that preceded the origin of life on Earth.