Diverse organic molecules on Mars revealed by the first SAM TMAH experiment
The search for organic matter on Mars has rapidly evolved in the past decade with simple aromatic, S-heterocycles, and aliphatic organic molecules detected in Gale crater. We report the in situ detection of >20 organic molecules from clay-bearing sandstones in the ~3.5-billion-year-old Knockfarrill Hill member of Glen Torridon, Gale crater, by the Sample Analysis at Mars instrument suite onboard the Curiosity rover. These molecules were liberated by the onboard tetramethylammonium hydroxide wet chemistry experiment. Diverse thermochemolysis products, including benzothiophene, methyl benzoate, and single and dicyclic aromatic molecules were released and detected by evolved gas analysis and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Results indicate the experiment successfully released molecules preserved in ancient macromolecular or free organic matter within Martian bedrock despite ~3.5 billion years of diagenesis and radiation exposure.
Authors
- Luoth Chou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0345-1635)
- Chad Pozarycki (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5262-9156)
- S. S. Johnson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8342-7688)
- Daniel P. GLAVIN (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7779-7765)
- Ross H. Williams (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8843-5257)
- A. Steele (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9643-2841)
- J. L. Eigenbrode (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3089-1986)
- Ophélie M. Mcintosh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8714-2586)
- Cyril Szopa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0090-4056)
- M. T. Thorpe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1235-9016)
- David Boulesteix (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1628-3864)
- H. B. Franz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9716-5597)
- Angel Mojarro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4547-4747)
- A. B. Bryk (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2013-7456)
- A. R. Vasavada
- M. Millán (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8887-4313)
- J. M. T. Lewis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6926-6980)
- Amy J. Williams (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6299-0845)
- Samuel Teinturier (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1755-9524)
- Christopher H. House (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4926-4985)
- A. Buch (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2097-7252)
- R. Navarro‐González (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6078-7621)
- Caroline Freissinet (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6528-330X)
- Jason P. Dworkin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3961-8997)
- Charles Malespin
- Amy C. McAdam
- Valerie Fox
- Janelle Roach
- Roger E. Summons (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7144-8537)
- Paul Mahaffy
Institutions
- University of Notre Dame (US)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- University of Minnesota (US)
- Planetary Science Institute (US)
- Goddard Space Flight Center (US)
- Georgia Institute of Technology (US)
- Pennsylvania State University (US)
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory (US)
- Howard University (US)
- University of America (US)
- Georgetown University (US)
- Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (FR)
- Carnegie Institution for Science (US)
- Université Paris-Saclay (FR)
- University of Florida (US)
- Sorbonne Université (FR)
- CentraleSupélec (FR)
- Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace (FR)
- Laboratoire atmosphères, milieux, observations spatiales (FR)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
- University of Maryland, College Park (US)
- Catholic University of America (US)
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (MX)
- University of California, Berkeley (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2026-04-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-70656-0
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Planetary Science and Exploration
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 13.98
Funders
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- California Institute of Technology
- Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory
- Goddard Space Flight Center
- Planetary Science Division