Primordial aqueous alteration recorded in water-soluble organic molecules from the carbonaceous asteroid (162173) Ryugu

Yoshinori Takano (), Hiroshi Naraoka, Jason P. Dworkin, Toshiki Koga, Kazunori Sasaki, Hajime Sato, Yasuhiro Oba, Nanako O. Ogawa, Toshihiro Yoshimura, Kenji Hamase, Naohiko Ohkouchi, Eric T. Parker, José C. Aponte, Daniel P. Glavin, Yoshihiro Furukawa, Junken Aoki, Kuniyuki Kano, Shin-ichiro M. Nomura, Francois-Regis Orthous-Daunay, Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin, Hisayoshi Yurimoto, Tomoki Nakamura, Takaaki Noguchi, Ryuji Okazaki, Hikaru Yabuta, Kanako Sakamoto, Toru Yada, Masahiro Nishimura, Aiko Nakato, Akiko Miyazaki, Kasumi Yogata, Masanao Abe, Tatsuaki Okada, Tomohiro Usui, Makoto Yoshikawa, Takanao Saiki, Satoshi Tanaka, Fuyuto Terui, Satoru Nakazawa, Sei-ichiro Watanabe, Yuichi Tsuda and Shogo Tachibana
Additional contact information
Yoshinori Takano: Natsushima
Hiroshi Naraoka: Nishi-ku
Jason P. Dworkin: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Toshiki Koga: Natsushima
Kazunori Sasaki: Tsuruoka
Hajime Sato: Tsuruoka
Yasuhiro Oba: N19W8 Kita-ku
Nanako O. Ogawa: Natsushima
Toshihiro Yoshimura: Natsushima
Kenji Hamase: Kyushu University
Naohiko Ohkouchi: Natsushima
Eric T. Parker: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
José C. Aponte: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Daniel P. Glavin: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Yoshihiro Furukawa: Tohoku University
Junken Aoki: Hongo
Kuniyuki Kano: Hongo
Shin-ichiro M. Nomura: Tohoku University
Francois-Regis Orthous-Daunay: L’Institut de Planétologie et d’Astrophysique de Grenoble
Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin: Analytische Lebensmittel Chemie
Hisayoshi Yurimoto: Hokkaido University
Tomoki Nakamura: Tohoku University
Takaaki Noguchi: Kyoto University
Ryuji Okazaki: Nishi-ku
Hikaru Yabuta: Hiroshima University
Kanako Sakamoto: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Toru Yada: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Masahiro Nishimura: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Aiko Nakato: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Akiko Miyazaki: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Kasumi Yogata: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Masanao Abe: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Tatsuaki Okada: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Tomohiro Usui: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Makoto Yoshikawa: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Takanao Saiki: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Satoshi Tanaka: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Fuyuto Terui: Kanagawa Institute of Technology
Satoru Nakazawa: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Sei-ichiro Watanabe: Nagoya University
Yuichi Tsuda: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Shogo Tachibana: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: Abstract We report primordial aqueous alteration signatures in water-soluble organic molecules from the carbonaceous asteroid (162173) Ryugu by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft of JAXA. Newly identified low-molecular-weight hydroxy acids (HO-R-COOH) and dicarboxylic acids (HOOC-R-COOH), such as glycolic acid, lactic acid, glyceric acid, oxalic acid, and succinic acid, are predominant in samples from the two touchdown locations at Ryugu. The quantitative and qualitative profiles for the hydrophilic molecules between the two sampling locations shows similar trends within the order of ppb (parts per billion) to ppm (parts per million). A wide variety of structural isomers, including α- and β-hydroxy acids, are observed among the hydrophilic molecules. We also identify pyruvic acid and dihydroxy and tricarboxylic acids, which are biochemically important intermediates relevant to molecular evolution, such as the primordial TCA (tricarboxylic acid) cycle. Here, we find evidence that the asteroid Ryugu samples underwent substantial aqueous alteration, as revealed by the presence of malonic acid during keto–enol tautomerism in the dicarboxylic acid profile. The comprehensive data suggest the presence of a series for water-soluble organic molecules in the regolith of Ryugu and evidence of signatures in coevolutionary aqueous alteration between water and organics in this carbonaceous asteroid.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49237-6

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