Carbonaceous matter in meteorites and small bodies of our Solar System
Eric Quirico
University Grenoble, Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble
The most primitive metorites and interplanetary dusts contain a variety of carbonaceous materials, which include soluble molecules, kerogens and graphite. These materials testify of chemical and physical processes that happened 4.55 Gyrs ago,first in the protosolar disk (e.g. thermal heating, irradiation, low temperature chemistry) and in a second step in the parent bodies (thermal metamorphism, aqueous alteration). In this respect, they are valuable tracers of the Early Solar System and provide clues on planet formation that could not be obtained from remote observation of extrasolar disks. In this presentation I will first review the main issues that concern organic matter, i.e. its origin and its evolution due to geological processes in the parent body. In a second part, I will present recent results on the formation of the so-called Insoluble Organic Matter, and discuss implications for space missions (Rosetta, Marco-Polo R).