568 Annals New York Academy of Sciences 



were obtained at an ionization potential of 12 volts. At this low potential 

 aromatic hydrocarbons yield chiefly "parent" ions. This technique cannot 

 be used in the analyses of saturated hydrocarbons because the energies required 

 to break bonds and remove electrons are approximately equal in alkanes. 



Nearly all of the large peaks in table 6 are produced by molecular ions, but 

 apparently the wide range of electron energies in the ion source of the General 

 Electric instrument caused appreciable fragmentation. In table 8 the data on 

 many large fragments as well as "parent" ions are presented. Ultraviolet 

 spectra provide a valuable assistance in the interpretation of the mass spectra 

 of aromatic hydrocarbons. Many of the aromatic hydrocarbons in naturally 

 occurring aromatic mixtures can be identified by the combined use of mass and 

 ultraviolet spectroscopy. 



Blanks and the Holbrook meteorite. Because limited amounts of carbonaceous 

 chondrites are available, minimal sample sizes were used in these investigations. 

 To ensure that laboratory contaminants did not significantly affect the results of 

 the analyses obtained on the minimal sized samples, an elaborate system of 

 blanks was used. In addition, a high temperature meteorite, the Holbrook, 

 which should not have contained significant amounts of indigenous organic 

 matter served as an indicator of the type of contaminants a meteorite might 

 acquire during its fall to earth, contact with earth, and storage in a museum. 

 None of the blanks contained organic matter that could be detected by in- 

 frared, ultraviolet, or mass spectrometric analyses; and the Holbrook extracts 

 showed very small infrared and ultraviolet absorptions as shown in figures 1 

 and 5. These controls indicate: (1) that laboratory contaminants did not 

 measurably alter the meteorite analyses; (2) that the amount of organic matter 

 acquired by meteorites (Holbrook fell in 1912) may be negligible. 



Rinses and extracts. The process of first rinsing and of then extracting the 

 meteorites was used to detect contaminants. It was assumed that surface and 

 near surface contaminants could be rinsed from the surfaces of the stones. 

 Analysis of the rinse fractions (all of which were relatively small) and the 

 extracts did not show any marked changes in concentrations of hydrocarbons 

 between the exterior and interior portions of the meteorites. These analyses 

 suggest that the surfaces of the meteorites had not been contacted or con- 

 taminated by significant quantities of extractable organic matter during 

 storage. 



Authenticity of meteorite fragments. A complementary publication^- lists 

 the reliable sources of the fragments studied in these investigations. This 

 complements^ also reviews and presents data that indicate that meteorites 

 are of extraterrestrial origin and that the samples used in this study are authen- 

 tic meteorites. 



Records of Life on Earth 



Terrestrial organisms or their remnants represent the only established 

 references for detection of biological materials. Variations in the appearances, 

 behaviors, and compositions of organisms make it apparent that qualitative, 

 rather than precise, quantitative measurements or observations provide the 

 best means of recognizing previously unseen or unanalyzed forms or remnants 

 of life. Presently the extensive data on the fossil remains and organic matter 



