Light and magnetism in the origin of extraterrestrial enantiomer excesses
5 affiliations
- 1Space Science Division
- 2NASA-Ames Research Center
- 3Department of Chemistry
- 4University of California-Davis
- 5San Jose State University
Abstract
Chiral compounds are composed of non-superimposable mirror-images, or enantiomers, typically designated as D- or L-isomers. The macromolecular structures of biopolymers share a critical trait known as homochirality: the exclusive presence of a single enantiomeric form within their organic building blocks. Understanding the origin of biological homochirality has been an active area of research for nearly two centuries. Our goal was to demonstrate the first de novo synthesis of individual sugar derivatives containing enantiomer excesses (ee), the precursor of homochirality. We specifically employed prebiotically plausible experimental conditions: reactions were performed in aqueous solutions utilizing the formose sugar-synthesis pathway. This system consisted of simple, ubiquitous interstellar precursor molecules, such as formaldehyde and glycolaldehyde, alongside common abiotic ions, mild radiation, and magnetism. Analysis of products by chiral gas chromatography–mass spectrometry demonstrated ee production and, critically, reversible control of the dominant enantiomer by varying the magnetic-field direction. The ability to repeatably determine relative enantiomer abundance, and the ubiquitous nature of interstellar formaldehyde, magnetism and radiation, imply that ee might be cosmically widespread. These findings may also have implications for identifying the long-sought source of ee deeply embedded within extraterrestrial insoluble organic matter.
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BibTeX
@misc{cooper2026light,
title = {{Light and magnetism in the origin of extraterrestrial enantiomer excesses}},
author = {George Cooper and William M. Jackson and Andro C. Rios and Katie J. Yeung and David J. Des Marais},
howpublished = {ChemRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.26434/chemrxiv.15010465/v1},
url = {https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15010465/v1},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Light and magnetism in the origin of extraterrestrial enantiomer excesses
AU - George Cooper
AU - William M. Jackson
AU - Andro C. Rios
AU - Katie J. Yeung
AU - David J. Des Marais
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
PB - ChemRxiv
DO - 10.26434/chemrxiv.15010465/v1
UR - https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15010465/v1
AB - Chiral compounds are composed of non-superimposable mirror-images, or enantiomers, typically designated as D- or L-isomers. The macromolecular structures of biopolymers share a critical trait known as homochirality: the exclusive presence of a single enantiomeric form within their organic building blocks. Understanding the origin of biological homochirality has been an active area of research for nearly two centuries. Our goal was to demonstrate the first de novo synthesis of individual sugar derivatives containing enantiomer excesses (ee), the precursor of homochirality. We specifically employed prebiotically plausible experimental conditions: reactions were performed in aqueous solutions utilizing the formose sugar-synthesis pathway. This system consisted of simple, ubiquitous interstellar precursor molecules, such as formaldehyde and glycolaldehyde, alongside common abiotic ions, mild radiation, and magnetism. Analysis of products by chiral gas chromatography–mass spectrometry demonstrated ee production and, critically, reversible control of the dominant enantiomer by varying the magnetic-field direction. The ability to repeatably determine relative enantiomer abundance, and the ubiquitous nature of interstellar formaldehyde, magnetism and radiation, imply that ee might be cosmically widespread. These findings may also have implications for identifying the long-sought source of ee deeply embedded within extraterrestrial insoluble organic matter.
ER -