Pyrolysis experiment of simulated exogenous complex organics synthesized from the gas mixtures of CO, NH3, and H2O by 3 MeV proton irradiation.

High molecular weight organic matter synthesized from mixtures of carbon monoxide, ammonia and water gases similar to those found in the interstellar medium were irradiated with a 3 MeV proton beam and analyzed by Curie point pyrolysis with detection by gas chromatograph and mass spectrometer (Pyr-GC-MS). A wide variety of organic compounds, not only a number of amide compounds, but also heterocyclic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), were detected among the products of the pyrolysis. The present data shows that primary and primitive organic matter serving as precursors to bioorganic compounds such as amino acids, nucleic acid bases and sugar might have been formed in a gaseous mixture of similar composition to that of the interstellar dust environment.