Prebiotic chemistry in space: how, where and when

Abstract: Life relies on reduced compounds of carbon. The percentage of carbon on Earth is quite small compared to the average percentage of carbon in our Galaxy, and most of it is trapped in carbonate rocks and carbon oxides. What has the evolution of carbon on Earth been, and why is Earth so depleted in carbon? How did life originate in an oxidizing environment like that of primordial Earth? Reduced organic compounds with some prebiotic potential appear to be abundant in many small bodies of the Solar System (asteroids, comets, meteorites, and even interplanetary dust). How were these organic compounds formed? Could these compounds have triggered life on Earth? In this seminar I will present the point of view of a chemist, showing you the results of the recent research which ranges from the chemistry of the interstellar medium to the chemistry of planetary atmospheres and cometary comae.