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RESEARCH PRODUCT
The young hard active Sun: soft X-ray irradiation of tryptophan in water solutions
Cesare Cecchi-pestelliniSerena IndelicatoAngela CiaravellaFrancesco MingoiaMarco BarberaDavid BongiornoAlfonso ColluraMaria Luisa TestaA. La Barberasubject
amino acidsAqueous solutionDipeptidePhysics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)RadicalastrobiologyTryptophanTripeptidePhotochemistryorigin of lifeX-ray irradiation of amino acidsCrystallographychemistry.chemical_compoundchemistryFragmentation (mass spectrometry)Space and Planetary Scienceamino acids astrobiology chemical evolution origin of life X-ray irradiation of amino acids.Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous)MoleculeIrradiationchemical evolutionEcology Evolution Behavior and Systematicsdescription
AbstractThe X-ray emission of the young Sun was much harder and intense than today and might have played a significant role in the evolution of complex organics in protoplanetary environments. We investigate the effects of soft X-rays on tryptophan molecules in aqueous solutions at room temperature. As results of the irradiation experiments we detect several light species indicative of fragmentation, together with large molecular structures such as tryptophan dipeptide and tripeptide. Complexification is more evident in H2O solution than in D2O, probably due to isotopic effects. The abundances of peptides depend on the irradiation dose and decrease with increasing energy deposition. Radicals such as D, OD, H and OH, induced by the X-ray interaction with solvents, play a major role in determining the final products.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-08-16 | International Journal of Astrobiology |