SB9

Carbon-bearing matter with a wide range in molecular size and structure is found throughout our Solar System. It ranges from simple molecules like CO2 in Venus’ atmosphere to complex mixtures of carbonaceous phases found in Titan or on the Martian surface. The widespread nature and diversity of carbon-based molecules leaves us wondering: How did they form and how do environmental processes transform them? Did this chemical complexity emerge in the Solar System or is it inherited from pre-Solar stages – or perhaps a combination of both? Can organic molecules be used to decipher physical conditions, chemical transformations, and formation histories of planetary bodies and of the Solar System itself? How does the inventory of organic matter influence the emergence and evolution of habitable worlds?

Addressing these complex questions requires a multifaceted and collaborative approach. We therefore invite scientists from all backgrounds and disciplines studying carbon chemistry and its evolution, from primitive bodies to rocky planets and habitable worlds. Whether extracting organic molecules from meteorites, observing KBOs with JWST, analyzing the composition of Ceres as measured by Dawn or future missions, investigating ancient Martian lakes with rovers, simulating hydrothermal processes in asteroid parent bodies, or modeling the Venusian clouds … — all are welcome to contribute to this session to help understand the role and fate of carbon-based matter and to pave the way for future space exploration missions.