Interplanetary dust particles organic matter

Flynn G. J., Keller F. P., Feser M., Wirick S. and Jacobsen C. (2003). The origin of organic matter in the solar system evidence from the interplanetary dust particles. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 67 4791. 

Piazzarello, S., Cooper, G. W. and Flynn, G. J. (2006) The nature and distribution of the organic material in carbonaceous chondrites and interplanetary dust particles. In Meteorites and the Early Solar System II, eds. Lauretta, D. S. and McSween, H. Y., Jr. Tucson University of Arizona Press, pp. 625-651. A comprehensive, up-to-date review of organic matter in carbonaceous chondrites, but not for the faint-hearted. 

The importance of exogenous delivery of organic matter to the early Earth is critically dependent on the survivability of organic compounds during the delivery process. It is presently unclear exactly how much organic material would escape destruction during asteroid, comet and interplanetary dust particle infall to the Earth s surface. 

Organic-rich extraterrestrial samples such as meteorites, micrometeorites, interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) and samples returned by spacecraft provide a unique record of the chemical processes in the early solar system and in the interstellar medium. In particular, detailed structural and isotopic analyses of carbonaceous meteorites have revealed a rich organic inventory and provided evidence of the synthesis of complex organic molecules in the interstellar medium and on the asteroidal parent bodies of meteorites [1,2], The organic matter in carbonaceous meteorites is present at levels of up to 5% and can be divided into solvent-soluble (l%-25%) and insoluble (75%-99%) fractions, the former characterized by considerable structural, isomeric, and isotopic diversity [2,3], and the latter characterized by a high molecular weight and complex aromatic network [4]. 

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