Solvent extraction of organic molecules of exobiological interest for in situ analysis of the Martian soil

A solid–liquid extraction method able to perform in situ extraction of organic compounds on Mars is proposed. The extraction efficiency of various organic solvents was tested and compared to that of water. The selected key compounds are molecules of exobiological interest: glycine, alanine, serine, glutamic acid, oxalic acid, benzoic acid, phthalic acid, isophthalic acid, terephthalic acid and 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid. Among the organic solvents, propanol gives the highest yield of extraction for all the targeted compounds except for benzoic acid. A mixture of propanol and ethyl acetate increases significantly the extraction yield of benzoic acid. The extraction time was considerably reduced (140 h to 15 min) by using sonication. The method is discussed for an easy automation with coupling to an in situ GC–MS space instrument.