Cosmochemistry (from
Greek κόσμος
kósmos, "universe" and χημεία
khemeía) or
chemical cosmology is the study of the chemical composition of matter in the
universe and the processes that led to those compositions. This is done primarily through the study of the chemical composition of
meteorites and other physical samples. Given that the asteroid parent bodies of meteorites were some of the first solid material to condense from the early solar nebula, cosmochemists are generally, but not exclusively, concerned with the objects contained within the
solar system.