Analysis of the Stability of Natural and Unnatural Amino Acids Under Extraterrestrial Conditions

Primary Submission Contact

Claire Mammoser

Faculty Sponsor

Laura Rowe

Faculty Sponsor Email Address

laura.rowe@valpo.edu

College

Arts and Sciences

Department/Program

Chemistry

Document Type

Poster Presentation

Date

Fall 10-28-2016

Abstract

Extraterrestrial life is an area of interest in many scientific disciplines, and learning more about how that life may be built is a valuable pursuit. With this in mind, we look to see which amino acids or unnatural amino acids are more stable in extraterrestrial conditions. For this, we use Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) with UV-VIS and MS detectors. The UPLC data shows which amino acids have degraded and which have maintained their shape. In our initial tests of five representative natural amino acids, a 10% acetone bath caused the most degradation in the structures, while extreme cold and pH change caused the least.

Biographical Information about Author(s)

Claire Mammoser is currently a chemistry major at Valparaiso University. Prior to this project, she has worked on screening for unnatural amino acid incorporation into E. Coli.

Bayland Brown is a third year student at Ivy Tech Community College.

Additional Presentation Information

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