Nanosims H, C, N and O–isotopic Study of Insoluble Organic Matter in Murchison

Introduction Because of a systematic enrichment in deuterium, the insoluble organic molecules (IOM) of the carbonaceous meteorites are generally considered to represent interstellar materials. However, since the D/H ratios in IOM remain much lower than those measured astronomically for organic molecules synthesized in the interstellar medium (ISM), no plausible process has been proposed to account for this discrepancy and a straight heritage of the IOM from ISM remains uncertain. Recently, two new techniques – the NanoSIMS and the GCiRMS for Hydrogen – have yielded new data that may provide a solution to this pending issue.