title: Detection of optical asymmetry in amino acids by gas chromatography for extraterrestrial space exploration: results of a new soil processing scheme with breadboard instrumentation.
abstract: The life-detection experiments of the Viking spacecraft are of an active biology type that will attempt to elicit metabolic responses from soil samples. Because bioresponses may be difficult to stimulate, it is desirable also to devise a purely chemical life-detection experiment. The unique chemical property of living systems on which such an experiment could be based is the optical activity of the amino acids that compose its protein. We have devised a new soil processing scheme which has been laboratory tested and for which we have built semi-automated breadboard instrumentation. The system involves the operations of heating, filtering, evaporation, conversion of the isolated amino acids to volatile diastereomers, injection onto a gas chromatographic column, and detection using a flame ionization detector. The breadboard form of the soil processing scheme and instrumentation has been successfully end-to-end tested.
authors.affiliation: Ames Research Center, NASA, Moffett Field, Calif., USA.
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Pollock
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Day
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kinsey
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000032:analysis*; D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D004867:Equipment Design; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D018559:Exobiology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D005118:Extraterrestrial Environment; D018535:Mars; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis; D012987:Soil / Q000032:analysis*; D018531:Spacecraft / Q000295:instrumentation*
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D012987:Soil; D002244:Carbon; D009584:Nitrogen