Stability of 20 biogenic amino acids in concentrated sulfuric acid: Implications for the habitability of Venus' clouds

Seager, Maxwell D., Seager, Sara, Bains, William and Petkowski, Janusz J. 2024. Stability of 20 biogenic amino acids in concentrated sulfuric acid: Implications for the habitability of Venus' clouds. Astrobiology 24 (4) , pp. 386-396. 10.1089/ast.2023.0082

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Abstract

Scientists have long speculated about the potential habitability of Venus, not at the 700K surface, but in the cloud layers located at 48–60 km altitudes, where temperatures match those found on Earth's surface. However, the prevailing belief has been that Venus' clouds cannot support life due to the cloud chemical composition of concentrated sulfuric acid—a highly aggressive solvent. In this work, we study 20 biogenic amino acids at the range of Venus' cloud sulfuric acid concentrations (81% and 98% w/w, the rest water) and temperatures. We find 19 of the biogenic amino acids we tested are either unreactive (13 in 98% w/w and 12 in 81% w/w) or chemically modified in the side chain only, after 4 weeks. Our major finding, therefore, is that the amino acid backbone remains intact in concentrated sulfuric acid. These findings significantly broaden the range of biologically relevant molecules that could be components of a biochemistry based on a concentrated sulfuric acid solvent.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	Physics and Astronomy
Publisher:	Mary Ann Liebert
ISSN:	1531-1074
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	17 May 2024
Date of Acceptance:	1 January 2024
Last Modified:	24 May 2024 14:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/169014

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