2009/09/01 by Jamie E. Elsila, D. P. Glavin, Jason P. Dworkin · 4 citations
Physics and Astronomy · Environmental Science · Earth and Planetary Sciences · #Astro and Planetary Science #Isotope Analysis in Ecology #Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/j.1945-5100.2009.tb01224.x
openalex publication_date 2009/09/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
Abstract— Our previous analysis of cometary samples returned to Earth by NASA's Stardust spacecraft showed several amines and amino acids, but the origin of these compounds could not be firmly established. Here, we present the stable carbon isotopic ratios of glycine and ε‐amino‐ n ‐caproic acid (EACA), the two most abundant amino acids identified in Stardust‐returned foil samples measured by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry coupled with isotope ratio mass spectrometry. The δ 13 C value for glycine of +29 ± 6‰ strongly suggests an extraterrestrial origin for glycine, while the δ 13 C value for EACA of −25 ± 2‰ indicates terrestrial contamination by Nylon‐6 during curation. This represents the first detection of a cometary amino acid.