Multi-step Pyrolysis of Powdered Meteorite Using a Pyroprobe with GC/MS

contributed by CDS | 06/09/2020

This application note demonstrates multi-step pyrolysis GC-MS of a powdered meteorite sample

In the search for extraterrestrial life, finding organic molecules, which contain carbon and hydrogen, and also may include oxygen, in deep space has been a topic of special interest. NASA’s Curiosity rover equipped with the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Suite Investigation in the MSL Analytical Laboratory is designed to address this interest. The main analytical chemistry hurdle that SAM resolved is using pyrolysis as a powerful tool to (1) thermally extract organic matter with low molecular weight from a piece of inorganic matter sample, which is usually insoluble into common solvents, (2) thermally break carbon bond in organic matter with high molecular weight, and send to GC/MS for identification. As the inventor of the first commercial pyrolyzer for GC/MS system, CDS Analytical contributed to the development of SAM in the Curiosity rover1 , which was launched on November 26, 2011 and landed on Mars on August 5, 2012.

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