Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 3278 |
| Journal | MOLECULES |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| Publication status | Published - 20 May 2022 |
Abstract
The processes and reactions that led to the formation of the first biomolecules on Earth play a key role in the highly debated theme of the origin of life. Whether the first chemical building blocks were generated on Earth (endogenous synthesis) or brought from space (exogenous delivery) is still unanswered. The detection of complex organic molecules in the interstellar medium provides valuable support to the latter hypothesis. To gather more insight, here we provide the astronomers with accurate rotational frequencies to guide the interstellar search of 3-aminoisoxazole, which has been recently envisaged as a key reactive species in the scenario of the so-called RNA-world hypothesis. Relying on an accurate computational characterization, we were able to register and analyze the rotational spectrum of 3-aminoisoxazole in the 6–24 GHz and 80–320 GHz frequency ranges for the first time, exploiting a Fourier-transform microwave spectrometer and a frequency-modulated millimeter/sub-millimeter spectrometer, respectively. Due to the inversion motion of the – NH2 group, two states arise, and both of them were characterized, with more than 1300 lines being assigned. Although the fit statistics were affected by an evident Coriolis interaction, we were able to produce accurate line catalogs for astronomical observations of 3-aminoisoxazole.
Keywords
- astrochemistry, large amplitude motion, origin of life, prebiotic molecules, rotational spectroscopy
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Chemistry(all)
- Analytical Chemistry
- Chemistry(all)
- Chemistry (miscellaneous)
- Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)
- Molecular Medicine
- Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics(all)
- Pharmaceutical Science
- Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics(all)
- Drug Discovery
- Chemistry(all)
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
- Chemistry(all)
- Organic Chemistry
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In: MOLECULES, Vol. 27, No. 10, 3278, 20.05.2022.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Spectroscopic Characterization of 3-Aminoisoxazole, a Prebiotic Precursor of Ribonucleotides
AU - Melli, Alessio
AU - Melosso, Mattia
AU - Lengsfeld, Kevin G.
AU - Bizzocchi, Luca
AU - Rivilla, Víctor M.
AU - Dore, Luca
AU - Barone, Vincenzo
AU - Grabow, Jens Uwe
AU - Puzzarini, Cristina
N1 - Funding Information: Funding: This work has been supported by MUR (PRIN Grant Number 202082CE3T) and by the University of Bologna (RFO funds). V.M.R. acknowledges support from the Comunidad de Madrid through the Atracción de Talento Investigador Modalidad 1 (Doctores con experiencia) Grant (COOL:Cosmic Origins of Life; 2019-T1/TIC-15379). Hannover: DFG (grants GR1344/4-1..3).
PY - 2022/5/20
Y1 - 2022/5/20
N2 - The processes and reactions that led to the formation of the first biomolecules on Earth play a key role in the highly debated theme of the origin of life. Whether the first chemical building blocks were generated on Earth (endogenous synthesis) or brought from space (exogenous delivery) is still unanswered. The detection of complex organic molecules in the interstellar medium provides valuable support to the latter hypothesis. To gather more insight, here we provide the astronomers with accurate rotational frequencies to guide the interstellar search of 3-aminoisoxazole, which has been recently envisaged as a key reactive species in the scenario of the so-called RNA-world hypothesis. Relying on an accurate computational characterization, we were able to register and analyze the rotational spectrum of 3-aminoisoxazole in the 6–24 GHz and 80–320 GHz frequency ranges for the first time, exploiting a Fourier-transform microwave spectrometer and a frequency-modulated millimeter/sub-millimeter spectrometer, respectively. Due to the inversion motion of the – NH2 group, two states arise, and both of them were characterized, with more than 1300 lines being assigned. Although the fit statistics were affected by an evident Coriolis interaction, we were able to produce accurate line catalogs for astronomical observations of 3-aminoisoxazole.
AB - The processes and reactions that led to the formation of the first biomolecules on Earth play a key role in the highly debated theme of the origin of life. Whether the first chemical building blocks were generated on Earth (endogenous synthesis) or brought from space (exogenous delivery) is still unanswered. The detection of complex organic molecules in the interstellar medium provides valuable support to the latter hypothesis. To gather more insight, here we provide the astronomers with accurate rotational frequencies to guide the interstellar search of 3-aminoisoxazole, which has been recently envisaged as a key reactive species in the scenario of the so-called RNA-world hypothesis. Relying on an accurate computational characterization, we were able to register and analyze the rotational spectrum of 3-aminoisoxazole in the 6–24 GHz and 80–320 GHz frequency ranges for the first time, exploiting a Fourier-transform microwave spectrometer and a frequency-modulated millimeter/sub-millimeter spectrometer, respectively. Due to the inversion motion of the – NH2 group, two states arise, and both of them were characterized, with more than 1300 lines being assigned. Although the fit statistics were affected by an evident Coriolis interaction, we were able to produce accurate line catalogs for astronomical observations of 3-aminoisoxazole.
KW - astrochemistry
KW - large amplitude motion
KW - origin of life
KW - prebiotic molecules
KW - rotational spectroscopy
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85130509943&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/molecules27103278
DO - 10.3390/molecules27103278
M3 - Article
C2 - 35630755
AN - SCOPUS:85130509943
VL - 27
JO - MOLECULES
JF - MOLECULES
SN - 1420-3049
IS - 10
M1 - 3278
ER -