title: Previously unknown class of metalorganic compounds revealed in meteorites.
abstract: The rich diversity and complexity of organic matter found in meteorites is rapidly expanding our knowledge and understanding of extreme environments from which the early solar system emerged and evolved. Here, we report the discovery of a hitherto unknown chemical class, dihydroxymagnesium carboxylates [(OH)2MgO2CR]-, in meteoritic soluble organic matter. High collision energies, which are required for fragmentation, suggest substantial thermal stability of these Mg-metalorganics (CHOMg compounds). This was corroborated by their higher abundance in thermally processed meteorites. CHOMg compounds were found to be present in a set of 61 meteorites of diverse petrological classes. The appearance of this CHOMg chemical class extends the previously investigated, diverse set of CHNOS molecules. A connection between the evolution of organic compounds and minerals is made, as Mg released from minerals gets trapped into organic compounds. These CHOMg metalorganic compounds and their relation to thermal processing in meteorites might shed new light on our understanding of carbon speciation at a molecular level in meteorite parent bodies.
authors.affiliation: Research Unit Analytical BioGeoChemistry, Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany.|Analytical Food Chemistry, Technische Universität München, 85354 Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ruf
authors.affiliation: Research Unit Analytical BioGeoChemistry, Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Basem
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kanawati
authors.affiliation: Research Unit Analytical BioGeoChemistry, Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hertkorn
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95616.
authors.forename: Qing-Zhu
authors.initials: QZ
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: Research Unit Analytical BioGeoChemistry, Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Moritz
authors.affiliation: Research Unit Analytical BioGeoChemistry, Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany.|Analytical Food Chemistry, Technische Universität München, 85354 Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany.
authors.forename: Mourad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Harir
authors.affiliation: Research Unit Analytical BioGeoChemistry, Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Marianna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lucio
authors.affiliation: Research Unit Analytical BioGeoChemistry, Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Michalke
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95616.
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wimpenny
authors.affiliation: Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Svetlana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shilobreeva
authors.affiliation: Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Basil
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bronsky
authors.affiliation: Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia.|Research Institute of Physical Problems named after F. V. Lukin, 124460 Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Saraykin
authors.affiliation: Université de Haute Alsace, École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Mulhouse, F-68094 Mulhouse Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Zelimir
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gabelica
authors.affiliation: UMR Procédés Alimentaires et Microbiologiques, Université de Bourgogne/AgroSupDijon, Institut Universitaire de la Vigne et du Vin Jules Guyot, 21000 Dijon, France.
authors.forename: Régis D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Gougeon
authors.affiliation: Université Grenoble Alpes/CNRS-Institut National des Sciences de l'Univers, Institut de Planétologie de Grenoble, UMR 5274, Grenoble F-38041, France.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Quirico
authors.affiliation: SR-Meteorites, 12681 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ralew
authors.affiliation: Drohobycka 32/6, Wroclaw 54-620, Poland.
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jakubowski
authors.affiliation: Section for Geobiology and Minerals, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, DK-1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark.|Maine Mineral and Gem Museum, Bethel, ME 04217.
authors.forename: Henning
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Haack
authors.affiliation: Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Solomons, MD 20688.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gonsior
authors.affiliation: SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043.|NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Mountain View, CA 94035.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jenniskens
authors.affiliation: University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812.
authors.forename: Nancy W
authors.initials: NW
authors.lastname: Hinman
authors.affiliation: Research Unit Analytical BioGeoChemistry, Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany; schmitt-kopplin@helmholtz-muenchen.de.|Analytical Food Chemistry, Technische Universität München, 85354 Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schmitt-Kopplin
keywords: Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry; astrochemistry; metalorganic chemistry; meteorites; organic evolution