Stable Nitrogen Isotope Analysis of Amino Acids by Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry: Application for Extraterrestrial Samples
These results highlight the potential of Orbitrap mass spectrometry for δ<sup>15</sup>N measurements with less material and lower analyte concentrations. This technique improves our ability to trace the origins and synthetic pathways of amino acids, providing valuable insights into prebiotic chemistry and possible abiotic mechanisms for organic compound formation in primitive solar system materials. Nitrogen isotopes serve as a powerful tool for distinguishing biological from non-biological sources, aiding in the identification of contamination in meteoritic samples and improving the reliability of analyses involving rare extraterrestrial materials.
Authors
- Hannah L. McLain (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4306-4608)
- Katherine H. Freeman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3350-7671)
- Hui Xie (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3490-2825)
- Daniel P. GLAVIN (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7779-7765)
- Ophélie M. Mcintosh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8714-2586)
- K. Farnsworth (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2549-8311)
- Allison A. Baczynski (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7490-6620)
- Mark Matney
- Jamie E. Elsila (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0008-2590)
- Jason P. Dworkin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3961-8997)
Institutions
- Goddard Space Flight Center (US)
- Pennsylvania State University (US)
- University of America (US)
- University of Maryland, Baltimore County (US)
- Catholic University of America (US)
- Nanjing University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry
- Published
- 2025-08-26
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.10127
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- Isotope Analysis in Ecology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 6.87
Funders
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- University of Maryland, Baltimore County
- Goddard Space Flight Center
- Planetary Science Division