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Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-M Amber is fossilized resin that preserves biological remains in exceptional detail, study of which has revolutionized understanding of past terrestrial organisms and habitats from the Early Cretaceous to the present day. Cretaceous amber outcrops are more abundant in the Northern Hemisphere and during an interval of about 54 million years, from the Barremian to the Campanian. The extensive resin production that generated this remarkable amber record may be attributed to the biology of coniferous resin producers, the growth of resiniferous forests in proximity to transitional sedimentary environments, and the dynamics of climate during the Cretaceous. Here we discuss the set of interrelated abiotic and biotic factors potentially involved in resin production during that time. We name this period of mass resin production by conifers during the late Mesozoic, fundamental as an archive of terrestrial life, the 'Cretaceous Resinous Interval' (CREI).

A crystalline ice matrix at subzero temperatures can maintain a liquid phase where organic solutes and salts concentrate to form eutectic solutions. This concentration effect converts the confined reactant solutions in the ice matrix, sometimes making condensation and polymerisation reactions occur more favourably. These reactions occur at significantly high rates from a prebiotic chemistry standpoint, and the labile products can be protected from degradation. The experimental study of the synthesis of nitrogen heterocycles at the ice–water system showed the efficiency of this scenario and could explain the origin of nucleobases in the inner Solar System bodies, including meteorites and extra-terrestrial ices, and on the early Earth. The same conditions can also favour the condensation of monomers to form ribonucleic acid and peptides. Together with the synthesis of these monomers, the ice world (i.e., the chemical evolution in the range between the freezing point of water and the limit of stability of liquid brines, 273 to 210 K) is an under-explored experimental model in prebiotic chemistry.

We report herein a new ¿ nd of kristiansenite from a pocket in an intra-granite pegmatite from Cadalso de los Vidrios, near Madrid, Spain. This specimen of a late hydrothermal scandium silicate has been studied by Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive Spectrometry probe (ESEM-EDS), Micro-Raman Spectrometry and ESEM-Cathodoluminescence (ESEM-CL), all of them non-destructive techniques. The sample is a single perfect pyramidal monocrystal found in a small cavity less than one mm across. The experimental chemical, molecular and spectral luminescent information was later compared with the type specimen from Norway and the second ¿nd, at Baveno, Italy. Our Raman spectrum matches the spectrum of the Norwegian specimen, with minor variation in the intensity of the peaks; the chemical composition recorded by EDS also shows minor variations. In addition, the CL spectrum displays several narrow peaks, probably associated with REE in Ca positions. The geochemical framework of this new locality, with pegmatite pockets in A-type granites rich in Sc-bearing minerals and other REE, have many similarities with those of Norway and Italy.

The present invention relates to a novel method and to a device for obtaining crystals from a substance, comprising: (i) preparing a saturated dissolution of the substance to be crystallized in a suitable solvent in a reaction vessel; (ii) generating an aerosol in the reaction vessel; (iii) crystallizing the substance; and (iv) recovering the crystals at the bottom of the reaction vessel. The method is especially suitable for crystallizing substances which are typically difficult to crystallize and can lead to a chiral amplification result., La presente invención relaciona a un nuevo método y a un dispositivo para obtener los cristales de una sustancia, comprendiendo: (i) preparando una disolución saturada de la sustancia que se cristalizará en un disolvente adecuado en un recipiente de reacción (ii) generar un aerosol en el recipiente de reacción (iii) cristalizar la sustancia y (iv) recuperando los cristales en el fondo del recipiente de reacción. El método es especialmente adecuado para cristalizar las sustancias que el son típicamente difícil cristalizar y el bote conducen a un resultado de la amplificación del quiral., Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (España), A1 Solicitud de patentes con informe sobre el estado de la técnica

4 páginas, 5 figuras.-- Trabajo presentado al VII Congreso Geológico de España, Canarias 2008., [EN]: This contribution presents first results from the research on meteorite impact craters and events in Mauritania. Megabreccias from the remarkable (and controversial) Richat structure and materials from the Aoulloul impact crater were studied by the combination of transmitted and reflected light microscopy, XRD, SEM-EDX, ICP-MS, FT-IR and Raman spectroscopy. Quartz, analcime, goethite, haematite, calcite, dolomite and sulphides (pyrite) were identified as main minerals of the megabreccias. Their textures comprise collomorphous layers and aggregates, cloudy textures, infillings of veins and cracks and quartz recrystallization, and heterometric quartz grains showing corroded gulfs. Some samples from Richat show mosaicism in quartz and amorphized carbon. In general, the megabreccias are geochemically heterogeneous, displaying significant variations in some elements (mainly Na, K, Ti, Cr, V, Co, Cu, Sr, Ba y Ni). Intensely deformed rocks (quartz mosaicism), and iron rich and glass fragments from the Aouelloul impact crater were also studied., [ES]: Se presentan los primeros resultados de la campaña científica Mauritania’ 2007, en relación con la investigación de cráteres y eventos de impacto. Los estudios se centraron en la caracterización, mediante microscopía de luz transmitida y reflejada, DRX, SEM-EDX, ICP-MS, FT-IR y espectroscopia Raman, de las megabrechas de la espectacular (aunque controvertida) estructura de Richat y en el cráter meteorítico de Aouelloul. Los minerales identificados en las brechas son cuarzo, analcima, goethita, hematites, calcita, dolomita y sulfuros (pirita). Sus texturas incluyen bandeados y agregados colomorfos, texturas anubarradas, rellenos fisurales con recristalizaciones de cuarzo y fragmentos heterométricos de los granos/cristales de cuarzo con bordes y golfos de corrosión. En algunas muestras de Richat se ha observado mosaicismo de los granos de cuarzo y carbón amorfizado. Las brechas muestran heterogeneidad geoquímica con variaciones importantes de algunos elementos (principalmente Na, K, Ti, Cr, V, Co, Cu, Sr, Ba y Ni). En Aouelloul se han caracterizado las rocas intensamente deformadas del interior del cráter (se ha detectado mosaicismo) y los fragmentos ferruginizados (goethita y cuarzo) que aparecen dispersos alrededor de la estructura. También se ha realizado espectroscopia Raman de los fragmentos vítreos ricos en sílice, que muestran clara amorfización.