Jihua Hao on High Pressure Ices and Habitability

Speaker: Jihua Hao (Geochemistry and Planetary Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China)
Series: LCLU Coffee Meetings

In person

TITLE: How high-pressure ices on large ocean worlds can support habitability: The compatibility of amino acids into ice VI and VII

ABSTRACT: Water oceans in large icy moons and exoplanets are isolated from the rocky interior by thick layer(s) of high-pressure ice(s), which hinders the direct release of nutrients and organics derived from water-rock interaction to the ocean. Possible uptake of these bio-essential compounds into high-pressure ice phases could regulate their availability in the ocean, but this process is poorly constrained. Here, we measured partition coefficients of glycine and alanine into ices VI and VII under elevated temperature-pressure conditions using a diamond-anvil cell. We observed moderate compatibility of glycine and alanine with partition coefficients: Kp,glycine = 0.14 and 0.40 in ices VI and VII, respectively; Kp,alanine = 0.21 and 0.35 in ices VI and VII, respectively. First-principles calculations suggested that amino acids could be incorporated into high-pressure ice’s lattice via co-growth. Compatibility of amino acids into high-pressure ices would favor their transport in large extraterrestrial oceans, opening a new avenue to habitability.