Esa mission ROSETTA will probe for chirality of cometary amino acids

Abstract

New crucial theoretical investigations on the origin of biomolecular chirality are reviewed briefly. With the goal to investigate these theories our team is going to perform the 'chirality-experiment' in the near future with cometary matter. In 2012 the robotical lander RoLand will detach from the orbiter of the ROSETTA spacecraft and set down on the surface of comet 46P/Wirtanen in order to separate and identify cometary organic compounds via GC-MS in situ. Chiral organics will be separated into their enantiomers by application of 3 capillary columns coated with different kinds of stationary phases. Non-volatile compounds like amino acids will be derivatized in especially developed gas phase alkylation steps avoiding reactions in the liquid phase. The results of these preliminary gas phase reactions are presented in this article.