QUESTION: 
Are any of the compounds isolated from the meteor existent on Earth?

ANSWER from Jack Farmer on November 20, 1996:
By compounds in the meteorite, I assume you mean the Martian meteorite,
ALH 84001, the one that has caused all the interest of late. The organic
compounds reported so far in that meteorite are called polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons. These are very common compounds on Earth and can be formed
in a variety of ways. Many PAHs are formed by combustion and are common in
auto exhaust for example. Other PAHs are formed during the breakdown of
organic matter and are common in petroleum. Unfortunately, we can't really
tell the origin of the PAHs in ALH84001, and they could well be inorganic.
The other organic compounds in ALH84001 have not yet been analyzed and may
give more definitive results about the life question. That work is going
on right now and we should know within the next year what else is there
and how it compares to the Earth.