Enrichment of the solar system by organic compounds delivered from evolved stars

Recent infrared spectroscopic observations have detected emission features due to the stretching and bending modes of aliphatic and aromatic compounds in the circumstellar envelope of evolved stars. These observations show that complex organic compounds can be synthesized in the low-density circumstellar environment over time scales of thousands of years. The identification of similar compounds in the solar system suggests that these stellar materials can survive the long trip through the Galaxy and be deposited in the early solar system. The possible role of such chemical enrichment of the solar system by stellar materials on the development of pre-biotic substances and the origin of life needs to be further explored.