Polymer amide and Ice Nucleation (IN)
Ice nucleation (IN) is an important event in the Universe because it was likely to have functioned in the accretion of stars from the 2nd generation stars onwards. Then, 13Gyrs ago, telescopic evidence indicates there were just 8 elements in existence with only hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen and oxygen present in sufficient amounts to allow the first molecules, including water, to start forming. The basis of IN in the atmosphere and in experiments simulating the phenomenon has been extensively studied. It can be produced by ionization of air borne water molecules (in the absence of liquid water), via electrical discharge (Mandel & Kumar 2002), which could represent in the Universe causation from cosmic rays (particles with energys >1e20eV & consisting of 90% protons: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_rays). Air borne hydrocarbon/biological material can also act as the nucleant of IN (Lindow et al 1982, Morris, Georgakapolous & Sands 2004, Christner et al 2008), and the atmospheric IN data of Christner et al shows the biological nucleator to be protein in nature (sensitive to enzyme degradation) and sometimes to contain DNA.
As we are suggesting at this web site that polymer amide could have arisen 500 million years into the Universe when water molecules were present (NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Spitzer Space Telescope mission for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Washington), IN nucleation via cosmic rays and seeding from polymer amide could be the basis of the stellar dust particles. It follows that the accretion of the 2nd generation of stars that we suggest polymer amide influenced, will also involve IN, with cosmic rays and polymer amide being the seed for the IN.
Christner B C., Morris C E., Foreman C M., Cai R & Sands D (2008) Ubiquity of biological ice nucleators in snowfall Science 319, 1214.
Lindow S E., Arny D C. & Upper C D (1982) Bacterial ice nucleation: A factor in frost injury to plants Plant Physiol 70, 1084-1089.
Mandel G & Kumar P P. (2002) A laboratory study of ice nucleation due to electrical discharge. Atmosph Res 61, 115-123.
Morris C E., Georgakapoulos D. & Sands D C (2004) Ice nucleation active bacteria and their potential role in precipitation. J Phys IV France 121, 87-103.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Spitzer Space Telescope mission for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Science operations are conducted at the Spitzer Science Center at Caltech, also in Pasadena. Caltech manages JPL for NASA, March 2008.
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2008-042