Astrophysical Sites that Can Produce Enantiomeric Amino Acids

Abstract

Recent work has produced theoretical evidence for two sites, colliding neutron stars and neutron-star–Wolf–Rayet binary systems, which might produce amino acids with the left-handed chirality preference found in meteorites. The Supernova Neutrino Amino Acid Processing (SNAAP) model uses electron antineutrinos and the magnetic field from source objects such as neutron stars to preferentially destroy one enantiomer over another. Large enantiomeric excesses are predicted for isovaline and alanine; although based on an earlier study, similar results are expected for the others. Isotopic abundances of 13 C and 15 O in meteorites provide a new test of the SNAAP model. This presents implications for the origins of life.

Extra‐Terrestrial Gas‐Phase Stereoinversion in Amino Acid Leucine: Thermal and Photochemical Channels

“…Not only this, the additional processing by circularly polarised UV radiations in such experiments has been reported to result into enantio‐enrichment of synthesized chiral organic molecules. This further supports the enantiomeric excess of life‐supporting amino acids and sugars observed in astrophysical objects …”

Chiral Dualism as an Instrument of Hierarchical Structure Formation in Molecular Biology

“…Questions related to the origin of mirror asymmetry in the world of carbon compounds in nature are continuously discussed in the scientific literature [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. Here we focus on the analysis of the central role played by chirality in the self-organization of living matter.…”

“…The origin and potential role of chiral asymmetry in biology have attracted the attention of the research community throughout the years [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. Although, at the macroscopic level, nonbiological structures with a homochiral molecular basis are not known, living organisms have been engaged in a unique experiment of creating stable homochiral systems.…”

Chiral Dualism as a Unifying Principle in Molecular Biophysics

“…The phenomenon of asymmetric chirality in living systems has recently attracted attention as one of the most urgent fundamental problems in the scientific world [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34]. Historically, the interest of physicists in the problem of chirality is focused on a separate search for mechanisms of symmetry breaking in the main classes of biomolecules at the initial stages of biopoiesis.…”