title: Ribose and related sugars from ultraviolet irradiation of interstellar ice analogs.
abstract: Ribose is the central molecular subunit in RNA, but the prebiotic origin of ribose remains unknown. We observed the formation of substantial quantities of ribose and a diversity of structurally related sugar molecules such as arabinose, xylose, and lyxose in the room-temperature organic residues of photo-processed interstellar ice analogs initially composed of H2O, CH3OH, and NH3 Our results suggest that the generation of numerous sugar molecules, including the aldopentose ribose, may be possible from photochemical and thermal treatment of cosmic ices in the late stages of the solar nebula. Our detection of ribose provides plausible insights into the chemical processes that could lead to formation of biologically relevant molecules in suitable planetary environments.
authors.affiliation: Université Nice Sophia Antipolis, Institut de Chimie de Nice, UMR 7272 CNRS, 28 Avenue Valrose, 06108 Nice, France. cornelia.meinert@unice.fr uwe.meierhenrich@unice.fr.
authors.forename: Cornelia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Meinert
authors.affiliation: Université Nice Sophia Antipolis, Institut de Chimie de Nice, UMR 7272 CNRS, 28 Avenue Valrose, 06108 Nice, France. Synchrotron SOLEIL, L'Orme des Merisiers, St Aubin BP48, 91192 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
authors.forename: Iuliia
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Myrgorodska
authors.affiliation: Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, bât 121, 91405 Orsay, France.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: de Marcellus
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigaciones Químicas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Avenida Universidad 1001, 62209 Cuernavaca, Mexico.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Buhse
authors.affiliation: Synchrotron SOLEIL, L'Orme des Merisiers, St Aubin BP48, 91192 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nahon
authors.affiliation: Aarhus University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ny Munkegade 120, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Søren V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.affiliation: Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, bât 121, 91405 Orsay, France.
authors.forename: Louis Le Sergeant
authors.initials: Lle S
authors.lastname: d'Hendecourt
authors.affiliation: Université Nice Sophia Antipolis, Institut de Chimie de Nice, UMR 7272 CNRS, 28 Avenue Valrose, 06108 Nice, France. cornelia.meinert@unice.fr uwe.meierhenrich@unice.fr.
authors.forename: Uwe J
authors.initials: UJ
authors.lastname: Meierhenrich
mesh_terms: D019342:Acetic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D000641:Ammonia / Q000737:chemistry; D001089:Arabinose / Q000138:chemical synthesis; D003359:Cosmic Radiation; D005118:Extraterrestrial Environment; D007053:Ice; D019110:Meteoroids; D000069497:Origin of Life; D010429:Pentoses / Q000138:chemical synthesis; D055668:Photochemical Processes; D012313:RNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D012266:Ribose / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D014994:Xylose / Q000138:chemical synthesis
chemical_list: D007053:Ice; D010429:Pentoses; D012313:RNA; C043333:lyxose; D012266:Ribose; D000641:Ammonia; D014994:Xylose; D001089:Arabinose; D019342:Acetic Acid