Hexamethylenetetramine (HMT)
Nitrogen-bearing prebiotic organic molecule (C₆H₁₂N₄) detected in the murchison-meteorite in 1969. HMT polymerizes to formaldehyde and ammonia under aqueous/UV conditions, making it a plausible upstream feedstock for amino-acid and nucleobase synthesis pathways relevant to prebiotic-chemistry.
Why it matters
HMT detection in Murchison is one of the foundational data points for exogenous organic delivery models — meteorites carry not just simple organics but also reactive nitrogen-bearing precursors that could seed prebiotic chemistry on planetary surfaces.