Tag Archives: Organic

Cassini Discovers Organic Molecules in Newly Released Ice Grains from Enceladus’ Ocean

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Enceladus, Saturn’s moon, constantly emits ice grains and gas plumes from its subterranean seas through fissures near the Antarctic region. A research team from the University of Stuttgart and the University of Berlin Fly utilized data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft to chemically analyze newly emitted particles originating from Enceladus’ ocean. They successfully identified intermediates of organic molecules that may have biological significance (including aliphatic and (hetero)cyclic esters/alkenes, ethers/ethyl, and tentatively, nitrogen and oxygen-containing compounds), marking the first discovery of such compounds among ice particles in extraterrestrial oceans.

Artist’s impression of NASA’s Cassini spacecraft navigating through the plumes erupting from Enceladus’ Antarctic region. These plumes resemble geysers and release a mix of water vapor, ice grains, salt, methane, and various organic molecules. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Enceladus has a diameter of approximately 500 km, and its surface is covered by ice shells that are about 25-30 km thick on average.

Cassini made the first revelation of a hidden ocean beneath Enceladus’ surface back in 2005.

A current emerges from a fissure near the moon’s Antarctic, sending ice grains into space.

Some ice particles, smaller than grains of sand, settle on the moon’s surface, while others escape, forming a ring that orbits Enceladus around Saturn.

“Cassini consistently detected samples from Enceladus while passing through Saturn’s E ring,” noted Nozail Kawaja, a researcher at the Free University of Berlin and the lead author of the study.

“Many organic molecules have already been identified within these ice grains, including precursors to amino acids.”

The ice grains in the ring may be hundreds of years old and could have undergone changes due to strong cosmic radiation.

Scientists aimed to analyze the recently released grains to enhance their understanding of the dynamics within Enceladus’ seas.

Fortunately, they already had the relevant data. In 2008, Cassini flew directly through the ice sprays. The released primitive particles were emitted just minutes before they interacted with the spacecraft’s Cosmic Dust Analyzer (CDA) at speeds of approximately 18 km/sec. These represented not only the most recent ice grains Cassini has detected but also the fastest.

“Ice grains encompass not just frozen water, but also other molecules containing organic matter,” Dr. Kawaja stated.

“Lower impact speeds can break the ice, leading to signals from water molecule clusters that may obscure signals from certain organic molecules.”

“However, when ice grains strike the CDA at high speeds, the water molecules do not cluster, allowing previously hidden signals to emerge.”

Years of data from previous flybys were necessary to interpret this information.

This time, the authors successfully identified the molecules contained in the freshly released ice grains.

The analysis showed that certain organic molecules known to be present in the E rings were also found in the fresh ice grains, affirming their formation within Enceladus’ seas.

Furthermore, they discovered a completely new molecule that had never before been observed in Enceladus’ ice grains.

Chemical analyses revealed that the newly detected molecular fragments consisted of aliphatic, (hetero)cyclic esters/alkenes, ethers/ethyl, and potentially nitrogen and oxygen-containing compounds.

On Earth, these same compounds participate in a series of chemical reactions that ultimately yield more complex molecules essential for life.

“Numerous pathways from the organic molecules detected in Cassini’s data to potentially biologically relevant compounds exist, enhancing the possibility of habitability on the moon,” Dr. Kawaja mentioned.

“We have more data currently under review, so we anticipate further discoveries soon.”

“The molecules we identified in the newly released materials indicate that the complex organic molecules Cassini detected within Saturn’s E ring are not merely a result of prolonged exposure to space; they are readily found within Enceladus’ ocean,” added co-author Dr. Frank Postberg, also from the Free University of Berlin.

For more details, refer to the study featured in this month’s edition of Natural Astronomy.

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N. Kawaja et al. Detection of organic compounds in newly released ice grains from the Enceladus ocean. Nat Astron Published online on October 1, 2025. doi: 10.1038/s41550-025-02655-y

Source: www.sci.news

Planetary Scientists Challenge Marine Origin of Organic Molecules in Enceladus’ Plumes

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The magnetosphere of Saturn is filled with trapped plasma and energy-charged particles that consistently bombard the surface of Enceladus. This plasma mainly consists of charged particles, including water group ions created from high-energy electrons interacting with materials from the plumes. Instruments on NASA’s Cassini spacecraft reveal that on Saturn’s inner icy moons, such as Mimas and Tethys, cold plasma irradiation results in darker reflection spectra and produces blue-tinted features on their surfaces. In contrast, the consequences of plasma bombardment on Enceladus remain largely unexplored and challenging to assess.

Saturn’s Moon Enceladus and Plume. Image credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI/Kevin M. Gill.

“The discovery of complex organic molecules in Enceladus’s environment is crucial for evaluating lunar habitability, indicating that radiation-driven chemistry on the surface and within plumes can yield these molecules.”

The Enceladus plume was first identified in 2005 by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft.

These plumes emerge from a long fracture known as the “Tiger Stripes” located in Enceladus’s Antarctic region.

Originating from a subsurface ocean, the water’s energy to create plumes and heat the ocean arises from gravitational tidal forces exerted by the massive Saturn, which deforms Enceladus’s interior.

Cassini flew through the plume, “sampling” the molecules present, which were found to be rich in salts and a variety of organic compounds.

These findings have captivated astrobiologists since organic compounds found dissolved in underground oceans could lead to prebiotic molecules, the building blocks of life.

However, new insights suggest that radiation from Saturn’s powerful magnetosphere could also contribute to the formation of these organic compounds on Enceladus’s icy surface, prompting questions about their astrobiological significance.

In their research, Dr. Richards and colleagues replicated the ice composition on the surface and along the striped walls of Enceladus’s tiger.

This ice comprises water, carbon dioxide, methane, and ammonia, which were cooled to -200 degrees Celsius.

The researchers then bombarded the ice with ions to mimic the radiation environment surrounding Enceladus.

The interaction of ions with ice components generated various molecular species, including carbon monoxide, cyanate, and ammonium.

It also produced precursor molecules for amino acids, which could support metabolic reactions, aid in cell repair, and facilitate the formation of proteins that transport nutrients in living organisms.

Some of these compounds have been previously identified on Enceladus’s surface, while others were detected in feathers.

“Molecules deemed prebiotic do not necessarily originate from subterranean oceans but can instead form in situ via radiation exposure,” noted Dr. Richards.

“This does not dismiss the potential for the Enceladus seas to be habitable, but it emphasizes the need for caution when interpreting the plume’s composition.”

“Distinguishing between ocean-derived organic matter and molecules formed through radiation interactions with the surface and tiger stripes is extremely complex.”

“Additional data from future missions will be essential, including proposals for the Enceladus mission currently under review as part of the ESA’s Navigation 2050 recommendations for the science program.”

The team’s survey results were announced earlier this month during the EPSC-DPS2025 Joint Meeting in Helsinki, Finland.

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Grace Richards et al. 2025. Water group ion irradiation studies of Enceladus surface analogues. EPSC Abstract 18:EPSC-DPS2025-264; doi:10.5194/epsc-dps2025-264

Source: www.sci.news

Webb Discovers Dust and Organic Torus in the Butterfly Nebula

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Thanks to the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have made significant progress in understanding the connection between the raw materials of rocky planets. This cosmic material—crystalline silicate dust and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons—was analyzed in the core of the remarkable bipolar planetary nebula known as the Butterfly Nebula.

Hubble and Webb/Alma images of Butterfly Nebula. Image credits: NASA/ESA/CSA/Webb/Hubble/Alma/Matsuura et al. , doi: 10.1093/mnras/staf1194.

The Butterfly Nebula, also referred to as NGC 6302, is among the most extensively studied planetary nebulae.

This nebula is situated approximately 2,417 light years away from Earth, in the constellation Scorpio.

Its distinctive butterfly shape has expanded over two light years, roughly half the distance from the Sun to Proxima Centauri.

The object exhibits extreme bipolarity, complex morphology, and features very high excitation gases, high molecular weight, and crystalline silicates.

“The planetary nebula is one of the most stunning and elusive phenomena in the cosmic landscape,” stated Mikako, an astronomer from Cardiff University, along with Matsui Ko and her colleague.

“These nebulae form when stars with masses between 0.8 and 8 times that of the Sun shed most of their mass at the end of their lifecycle.”

“The nebula phases on planets are transient, lasting only about 20,000 years.”

“Despite their name, planetary nebulae have no connection to planets. The confusion arose centuries ago, when astronomers noted that these nebulae appeared round, resembling planets.”

“Although many planetary nebulae are not round, their titles often reflect misleading names, and the Butterfly Nebula is a prime illustration of the extraordinary shapes these nebulae can assume.”

“As a bipolar nebula, the Butterfly Nebula has two lobes extending in opposite directions, forming what resembles butterfly ‘wings’,” they continued.

“The dark band of dusty gas acts as the ‘body’ of the butterfly. This band is actually a donut-shaped torus that conceals the central star of the nebula.”

“Dusty donuts may indeed contribute to the insect-like shape of the nebula by hindering gas from escaping outward from the star uniformly.”

New images from Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) offer a close-up view of the center of the Butterfly Nebula and its dusty torus, revealing its complex structure like never before.

Astronomers have detected nearly 200 spectral lines, each providing insights into the nebula’s atoms and molecules.

These lines uncover nested interconnected structures tracked by various species.

Researchers have also pinpointed the central star in the Butterfly Nebula, which heats a previously undetected dust cloud surrounding it, causing it to emit bright light at mid-infrared wavelengths.

The star boasts a temperature of 220,000 Kelvin, making it one of the hottest known central stars in the galaxy’s planetary nebulae.

This image takes viewers diving deep into the heart of the Butterfly Nebula, as seen by Webb. Image credit: NASA/ESA/CSA/WEBB/M. MATSUURA/ALMA/ESO/NAOJ/NRAO/N. HIRANO/M. ZAMANI.

“This incredible, radiant engine is responsible for the stunning brilliance of the nebula, yet its full effect is moderated by the dense band of thin gas, the torus, that surrounds it,” the author noted.

“New data from Webb reveals that the torus comprises crystalline silicates such as quartz and irregularly shaped dust particles.”

“Dust grains measure about one millionth of a meter, typical for space dust.”

“Beyond the torus, emissions from various atoms and molecules form multilayer structures.”

“Ions needing the highest energy to form cluster near the center, while those requiring less energy are positioned farther away from the central star.”

“Iron and nickel are particularly noteworthy, following jets that erupt outward from the star in opposite directions.”

In an intriguing finding, the team also identified light emitted by carbon-based molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

“These molecules have a flat, ring-like configuration, reminiscent of honeycomb shapes found in beehives,” said the astronomer.

“On Earth, PAHs are often present in smoke from campfires, vehicle exhausts, or burnt toast.”

“Given their location, these PAHs likely form when the winds from the central star push against the surrounding gas.”

“This discovery marks the first evidence of PAH formation in oxygen-rich planetary nebulae, offering a glimpse into the processes behind their formation.”

Survey results were published this week in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

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Mikako Matsumura et al. 2025. JWST/MIRI view of Planetary Nebula NGC 6302 – I. UV irradiated torus and hot bubbles cause PAH formation. mnras 542(2):1287-1307; doi:10.1093/mnras/staf1194

Source: www.sci.news

At room temperature, metal-free organic molecules demonstrate strong phosphorescence

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A metal-free organic 3-bromo-2-thienyl diketone exhibits fast and efficient room-temperature phosphorescence with high color purity under a variety of conditions, according to a new study led by chemists at Osaka University.

Artist's impression of fast phosphorescence. A beam of blue light enters the molecule, producing a thick yellow pillar, illustrating the acceleration of phosphorescence due to the mixing of singlet states. Image courtesy of YAP Co Ltd.

“Phosphorescence is a valuable optical feature used in applications such as OLEDs and cancer diagnostics,” said chemist Yosuke Tani of Osaka University and his colleagues.

“Until now, achieving highly efficient phosphorescence without using rare metals such as iridium or platinum has been a major challenge.”

“Phosphorescence, which occurs when a molecule goes from a high-energy state to a low-energy state, often competes with non-radiative processes where the molecule loses energy as heat,” the researchers added.

“This competition can slow down phosphorescence and make it less efficient.”

“Previous studies have shown that incorporating certain structural elements into organic molecules could make them phosphoresce faster, but these efforts have not matched the speed and efficiency of rare-metal-based materials.”

“Our breakthrough with thienyl diketones represents a major advance in this field.”

Dr. Tani and his co-authors were able to observe efficient narrowband room-temperature phosphorescence from 3-bromo-2-thienyl diketone in solution, amorphous polymer matrices, and crystalline solids.

“We discovered these molecules by chance and initially didn't understand why they performed so well,” Dr. Tani said.

“But as the research progressed, the pieces started to come together and we began to understand more.”

“Our work has led to a clearer understanding of the mechanisms behind the molecule's performance than any other organic phosphorescent material to date.”

“Still, we believe there is much more to explore and are excited about the potential applications.”

“This work provides new design guidelines for developing rare-metal-free organic phosphorescent materials, which have the potential to surpass and replace these materials in a variety of applications,” the authors conclude.

“The results of this research are expected to lead to major advances in areas such as OLEDs, lighting and medical diagnostics.”

This discovery paper In the journal Chemical Sciences.

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Yosuke Tani othersFast and efficient narrowband room-temperature phosphorescence from metal-free 1,2-diketones: rational design and mechanism. Chemical SciencesPublished online June 3, 2024; doi: 10.1039/D4SC02841D

Source: www.sci.news

Organic Farms Impact Pesticide Usage on Nearby Conventional Farms

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On organic farms, conventional farming practices appear to inadvertently cause more pesticides to be used in surrounding fields

Daniel Balderas/Shutterstock

Organic farmers dedicate their working lives to producing food with minimal use of pesticides, but by curbing the use of chemicals on their land, they can unknowingly damage their neighbor’s fence. may be causing a sharp increase in pesticide use.

Ashley Larsen and colleagues from the University of California, Santa Barbara, evaluated land use and pesticide data across 14,000 fields in Kern County, California. It is one of the largest agricultural counties in the state, producing agricultural products such as almonds, grapes, carrots, and pistachios.

The researchers found that when organic farmland is surrounded by conventional agriculture, neighboring farmers appear to increase their use of pesticides, which is associated with a 10 percent increase in organic farmland. Total pesticide use in conventional fields increases by 0.3%. Most of that is due to increased use of pesticides, the researchers found.

This is because more insects, pests or not, are present on organic land and tend to ‘bleed-off’ onto adjacent conventional farmland, leading these farmers to increase their use of pesticides. It is considered. “Pests come and sow the seeds for new outbreaks. [farmers] We will increase the use of pesticides,” Larsen told reporters at a press conference. This effect appears to be strongest when the adjacent field is within 2.5 kilometers of the organic “focal field”.

Conversely, the researchers found that the presence of organic fields was associated with reduced pesticide use in adjacent organic fields, with a 10 percent increase in the area of surrounding organic fields reducing total pesticide use on organic fields by 3%. He pointed out that it is associated with a decrease in the percentage of organic focal field. This may be because larger areas of organic farmland allow for larger and more stable communities of beneficial insects.

Organic agriculture only covers about 2 percent of the world’s land, but in Kern County, about 5.5 percent of the farmed area is organic.

If organic farming occupies a high proportion of agricultural land, perhaps Researchers say that regardless of where organic fields are located, net pesticide use is reduced by more than 20 percent.

However, when relatively small areas of organic cropland are evenly distributed across the landscape, such as in Kern County, net pesticide use may actually be higher than if no organic cropland were present.

“Our simulations suggest that low levels of organic agriculture in the landscape may actually increase net pesticide use,” Larsen said.

However, she said this impact can be completely mitigated by clustering organic farmland to minimize potential pest spillover. “Basically, at the policy level, how do we encourage the spatial clustering of new organic fields to take advantage of the pest control benefits of organic and limit the potential costs of organic to conventional growers?” It might be worth considering.

This could include paying subsidies to farmers to convert more land to organic farming in certain areas, or even creating buffer zones between organic and non-organic land. be.

robert finger Switzerland’s ETH Zurich said the study results demonstrate the need for policymakers to consider land use policy at a “landscape scale” to maximize the environmental benefits of organic farming. “Fundamentally, it’s not enough to think about a single field or a single farm,” he says.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Webb discovers complex organic compounds in interstellar ice approaching dual protostars

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astronomer using Mid-infrared measuring instrument The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope's (MIRI) detected molecules ranging from relatively simple ones like methane to complex compounds like ethanol (alcohol) and acetic acid. interstellar ice One low-mass protostar and one high-mass protostar: toward NGC 1333 IRAS 2A and IRAS 23385+6053, respectively.

This image taken by Webb's MIRI instrument shows the region near the IRAS 23385+6053 protostar. Image credit: NASA/ESA/CSA/WRM Rocha, LEI.

Complex organic molecules (COM) are molecules with six or more atoms, including at least one carbon atom.

These materials are the raw material for future exoplanetary systems and are therefore of essential importance in understanding the chemical complexity developed in star-forming regions.

If this material becomes available in a primitive planetary system, it could facilitate the planet's habitability.

In a new study, astronomers Will Rocha, Harold Linnaerts and colleagues at Leiden University used Webb's mid-infrared instrument to determine the extent of COM ice in two protostars, NGC 1333 IRAS 2A and IRAS 23385+6053. We investigated the characteristics.

They were able to identify a variety of COMs, including ethanol (alcohol) and perhaps acetic acid (a component of vinegar).

“Our discovery contributes to one of the long-standing questions in astrochemistry,” Dr. Rocha said.

“What is the origin of COM in the Universe?” Are they created in the gas phase or in ice? Detection of COM in ice is based on the solid phase at the surface of cold dust particles It suggests that chemical reactions can build complex types of molecules. ”

“Some COMs, including those detected in the solid phase in our study, were previously detected in the warm gas phase, so they are now thought to originate from ice sublimation.”

“Sublimation is the change from a solid directly to a gas without becoming a liquid.”

“Therefore, we have hope that detecting COM in ice will improve our understanding of the origins of other, larger molecules in the universe.”

This figure shows the spectrum of the NGC 1333 IRAS 2A protostar. Image credit: NASA/ESA/CSA/Leah Hustak, STScI.

The researchers also detected simpler molecules such as formic acid, methane, formaldehyde, and sulfur dioxide.

“Sulfur-containing compounds, such as sulfur dioxide, played an important role in promoting metabolic reactions on early Earth,” the researchers said.

“Of particular interest is that one of the investigated origins, NGC 1333 IRAS 2A, is characterized as a low-mass protostar.”

“NGC 1333 IRAS 2A may resemble the early stages of our solar system.”

“Therefore, the chemicals identified around this protostar may have been present during the earliest stages of the development of the solar system and were later delivered to the proto-Earth.”

“All of these molecules could become part of comets, asteroids, and ultimately new planetary systems as icy material is transported inside planet-forming disks as protostar systems evolve.” '' said Dr. Ewain van Dyschoek, an astronomer at Leiden University.

“We look forward to using more web data in the coming years to follow this astrochemical trajectory step by step.”

of the team paper It was published in the magazine astronomy and astrophysics.

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WRM Rocha other. 2024. JWST Young Protostar Observation (JOYS+): Detection of icy complex organic molecules and ions. I.CH.FourSo2,HCOO−,OCN−,H2Colorado, Cooh, Switzerland3CH2Oh, CH3Cho, channel3Ocho and CH3Coo. A&A 683, A124; doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202348427

Source: www.sci.news

The surface of Enceladus may have significant amounts of untouched organic material

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Enceladus, Saturn’s sixth-largest moon, is an interesting place to look to our solar system in the search for evidence of extraterrestrial life, given its habitable oceans and plumes that deposit organic-containing marine material on its surface. It brings you the right opportunities. Organic marine material may be sampled by the Enceladus lander mission. Considering the UV and plasma environment, it is interesting to understand the amount of relatively pure and unaltered organic matter present on the surface.

Enceladus’ tiger stripes are known to be caused by the moon’s icy interior spewing ice into space, creating a cloud of fine ice particles above the moon’s south pole, forming Saturn’s mysterious E ring. It is being This evidence comes from his NASA Cassini spacecraft, which orbited Saturn from 2004 to 2017. Shown here is a high-resolution image of Enceladus taken from a nearby airfield. The tiger stripes appear in a false blue color. Image credit: NASA / ESA / JPL / SSI / Cassini Imaging Team.

“By sending a mission to the surface of Enceladus, we can learn a lot about the biological signatures that may exist in Enceladus’ oceans,” said Amanda Hendricks, a senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute. .

“Previously, it was thought that sampling the freshest material from Enceladus’ ocean would require flying through the plume and measuring plume particles and gas.”

“But now we know that we can land on the surface, and we are confident that the instrument can measure plume organic matter from the ocean in its relatively natural state.”

“Thanks to measurements from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, we know that Enceladus’ ocean is habitable,” she added.

“We know that there is liquid water, energy, and chemicals such as carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur, which are necessary for life as we know it. It is an ingredient.”

“Enceladus is an oceanic world. Beneath its icy surface is a liquid ocean.”

“There are at least some ocean worlds in our solar system, but Enceladus is special because it is spraying ocean material into space via plumes of water vapor and ice particles at its south pole. This means Cassini’s instruments were able to reveal its signature.” As the spacecraft flew through Enceladus’ plumes, the ocean was visible. ”

“Fortunately, this study found that even though some of the plume particles were ejected into the Saturn system, nearly 90% of the plume particles returned to the Moon’s surface. This is likely due to marine material containing organic matter. But it’s sitting right on the surface.”

Organic molecules found in Enceladus’ plumes include molecules such as methane and ethane, as well as more complex molecules.

Organic matter is processed or chemically transformed by charged particles such as the sun’s ultraviolet photons and electrons.

But if scientists want to know whether ocean-derived biosignatures are present in plume particles, they need these particles to be as pristine as possible and unexposed to ultraviolet light.

An artist’s impression of NASA’s Cassini spacecraft flying through a plume of smoke spewing from Enceladus’ south pole. These plumes are much like geysers, releasing a combination of water vapor, ice grains, salt, methane, and other organic molecules. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

In the new study, Dr. Hendricks and fellow Penn State researcher Christopher House use data from NASA/ESA’s Hubble Space Telescope and Cassini to show that ultraviolet photons can be detected on Enceladus’ plume-covered surface. We estimated how deep it could penetrate.

“What we found in this study is that there are places on the surface of Enceladus where a spacecraft can land and collect samples. If we do that, we could measure organic matter in a relatively natural state.” Dr. Hendricks said.

“That’s because the sun’s ultraviolet photons don’t penetrate very deeply into the ice surface.”

“These harmful solar UV photons only penetrate about 100 micrometers into the ice surface. That’s the width of several human hairs!”

“So the topmost surface is exposed to harmful UV photons, but only some of the organic matter is chemically changed, and soon that material is covered by fresher plume material. .”

“And the deeper particles do not undergo further deformation because the ultraviolet photons are prevented from interacting with the deeper material.”

“The newly deposited plume particles act as a shield for the material below. They act like a sunscreen!”

“Ideally, we would like to someday land on the surface of Enceladus and sample organic matter from the relatively pristine ocean.”

“This result is important because the penetration depth of these harmful ultraviolet photons is so shallow that it suggests that there is a lot of relatively primitive organic matter that can be sampled.”

“Slightly deeper particles are less exposed to UV light, meaning the organic matter has a lower age of exposure.”

“Ultraviolet light easily alters organic molecules, so the depth at which such light reaches the surface of the icy world is critical,” Dr House added.

“Because the penetration depth of ultraviolet light was found to be short, our findings confirm that there is sufficient organic material trapped and preserved within Enceladus’ ice that can be traced back to its oceans. Did.”

“It’s awe-inspiring to think that we can easily obtain so much organic matter from habitable extraterrestrial oceans using known techniques.”

of findings It was published in the magazine Communication Earth and Environment.

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AR Hendrix & CH House. 2023. The effective UV exposure age of organic matter on Enceladus’s surface is low. common global environment 4,485; doi: 10.1038/s43247-023-01130-8

Source: www.sci.news

Chemists at MIT create vibrant organic molecules through synthesis

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Researchers at MIT have made a groundbreaking development in the stability of acene, a molecule with potential for use in semiconductors and light-emitting diodes. This advancement has opened up possibilities for acene to emit light in a range of colors, leading to its potential use in solar cells and energy-efficient screens. Known as organic light-emitting diodes and promising for use in solar cells, acenes consist of chains of fused carbon-containing rings with unique optoelectronic properties.

However, the stability of acene has been challenging, as the length of the molecule determines the color of light it emits, and longer acenes tend to be less stable and therefore not widely used in light-emitting applications. Researchers at MIT have devised a new approach to address this issue, making the molecules more stable in order to synthesize acenes of various lengths and build molecules that emit red, orange, yellow, green, or blue light. This innovative approach allowed them to create acenes with positive charges that possess increased stability and unique electronic properties, making them suitable for a wide range of applications.

The new, stable acenes, doped with boron and nitrogen, can now emit light in different colors depending on their length and the type of chemical group attached to the carbodicarbene. This is a significant development, as traditional acene molecules tend to emit only blue light, while the ability to emit red light is vital for many applications, including biological processes such as imaging. The new acenes also exhibit stability in both air and water, a noteworthy feature that opens up possibilities for medical applications.

Furthermore, researchers are exploring the potential of acenes in various derivative forms and incorporating them into technologies such as solar cells and light-emitting diodes for use in screens. By combining creative research with non-traditional paradigms, the research holds promising implications for the development of air- and photostable luminescent materials and compact energy harvesting devices. This innovative work was supported by the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation and the National Science Foundation’s Major Research Instrumentation Program.

Source: scitechdaily.com