Life Marker Chip Sample Processing Post PCR#2 (Q3 2009 to Q3 2010)

The extraction of organic molecules from samples on Mars and their subsequent delivery to an instrument capable of characterizing their chemistry represents a substantial analytical challenge. Difficulties arise because of the various chemical properties of the target molecules. Biological molecules are predominantly polar and dissolve readily in aqueous solutions whereas fossil organic molecules are non polar and dissolve in organic solvents; abiotic molecules can contain both types. A solvent for Mars must be able to cope with all types of organic molecule. Our current method uses a surfactant/water/methanol solution. Moreover, the organic molecules may reside in a number of lithologies each of which can selectively retain certain analytes. These matrix effects represent potential barriers for effective extraction procedures. The host lithologies may also produce changes in solvent chemistry which has a deleterious effect on its extraction efficiency or characteristics during transport.