Abstract
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) contain ≲20% of the carbon in the interstellar medium. They are potentially produced in circumstellar environments (at temperatures ≳1000 kelvin), by reactions within cold (~10 kelvin) interstellar clouds, or by processing of carbon-rich dust grains. We report isotopic properties of PAHs extracted from samples of the asteroid Ryugu and the meteorite Murchison. The doubly-13C substituted compositions (D2×13C values) of the PAHs naphthalene, fluoranthene, and pyrene are 9 to 51% higher than values expected for a stochastic distribution of isotopes. The D2×13C values are higher than expected if the PAHs formed in a circumstellar environment, but consistent with formation in the interstellar medium. By contrast, the PAHs phenanthrene and anthracene in Ryugu samples have D2×13C values consistent with formation by higher-temperature reactions.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1411-1416 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Science |
Volume | 382 |
Issue number | 6677 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1 Dec 2023 |