Synthesis of Diglycine in Single Suspended Micron-sized Aerosol Droplets

ALEXANDER LOGOZZO, Thomas Preston, McGill University

     Abstract Number: 525
     Working Group: Planetary Aerosols: From Earth to Exoplanets

Abstract
Elucidating synthetic routes for the formation of peptides under prebiotic conditions can provide us with fundamental knowledge about the origin of life. Aerosol particles in the atmosphere frequently exist in a supersaturated state, where the concentration can exceed that of the bulk solubility by an order of magnitude. Reaction rates can also be significantly enhanced in aerosol droplets and thermodynamically unfavorable reactions can be facilitated. Here, we investigate the potential for aerosol particles to act as efficient prebiotic reactors. By suspending aqueous droplets containing amino acids and dicyandiamide, we are able synthesize dipeptides in appreciable yields. We use a dual-beam optical trap to suspend single micron sized aerosol droplets and monitor their optical and chemical properties with cavity enhanced Raman spectroscopy. We show that the incident trapping laser is able to assist in the synthesis of the peptides. Additionally, the reaction rate is sensitive to the initial droplet radius indicating that the synthesis can be enhanced by scaling down the reaction vessel.