Molecular evolution during hydrothermal reactions from formaldehyde and ammonia simulating aqueous alteration in meteorite parent bodies

Simple molecules such as formaldehyde and ammonia were expected to be incorporated into small bodies with water ice in the early accretion history. These molecules would have reacted to produce various organic compounds during aqueous alteration which most of the primitive carbonaceous chondrite parent bodies have experienced. Our previous hydrothermal experiments involving formaldehyde and ammonia have already shown formations of amino acids and organic solids that resemble to macromolecular organic matter in primitive meteorites. Here we focus on the characterization in liquid phases with various analytical methods including high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), in addition to kinetic analyses of the reactions using in-situ FTIR spectroscopy with a heatable liquid cell.