MICROANALYTICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF BIOGENIC COMPONENTS OF INTERPLANETARY DUST

WE PROPOSE TO ANALYZE INTERPLANETARY DUST PARTICLES (IDP) USING SEVERAL MICROANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES. THE ANALYSIS WILL REQUIRE THE DEVELOPMENT OF NON-CONTAMINATING TECHNIQUESFOR PARTICLE PREPARATION AND ANALYSIS ESPECIALLY WITH RESPECT TO THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE BIOGENIC ELEMENTS H, C, N, O, P AND S. QUANTITATIVE MICROANALYSIS OF THE BIOGENIC ELEMENTS AND OF THE ORGANIC MOLECULES IN IDP IS NECESSARY TO IMPROVE THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE ORGANIC CHEMISTRY IN THE EARLY SOLAR SYSTEM AND IN THE INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM. QUANTITATIVE ANALYTICAL METHODS WITH SUBMICROMETER LATERAL RESOLUTION, CONSISTENT WITH THE ULTRAFINE GRAIN SIZEOF IDP, WILL BE SOUGHT USING AUGER ELECTRON SPECTROMETRY, SECONDARY ION MASS SPECTROMETRY WITH ION IMAGING AND LASER MICROPROBE MASS SPECTROMETRY. WE WILL EVALUATE SEVERAL IMPROVEMENTS OF THESE TECHNIQUES FOR THE CHEMICAL, TEXTURAL AND ISOTOPIC CHARACTERIZATION OF SELECTED STANDARD MATERIALSAND IDP.