Aqueous alteration of fluoranthene (C16H10) in asteroids and meteorites

Abstract

Organic molecules have been detected in carbonaceous chondrites. Here we examine the possibility that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are a precursor to the organic molecules found in meteorites and on asteroids. It is suggested that these PAHs can be altered by aqueous alteration in asteroids. Therefore, we examine the reactivity of fluoranthene (C16H10), a representative of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, in aqueous solutions under asteroidal conditions and its feasibility as a precursor to other organic molecules. Our experiments show that fluoranthene has a very low reactivity, even in the presence of an analogue mineral for meteoritic mineral matrices, olivine.