Life is believed to have originated on Earth B4.4-3.5 Ga ago, via processes in which organic compounds supplied by the environment self-organized, in some geochemical environmental niches, into systems capable of replication with hereditary mutation. This process is generally supposed to have occurred in an aqueous environment and, likely, in the presence of minerals. Mineral surfaces present rich opportunities for heterogeneous catalysis and concentration which may have significantly altered and directed the process of prebiotic organic complexification leading to life. We review here general concepts in prebiotic mineral-organic interfacial processes, as well as recent advances in the study of mineral surface-organic interactions of potential relevance to understanding the origin of life.

The adsorption of benzene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and nitroaromatic compounds (NACs) on the carbonaceous surfaces from the gas phase and water solution was investigated. Several different levels of theory were applied, including DFT-, MP2-, and CCSD(T)-based methods, to find an approach that is computationally inexpensive and can provide accurate thermodynamic parameters for studied adsorption phenomena. The methods and techniques used (including cluster and periodic approximations) were evaluated on the basis of comparison with available experimental data. The optimized structures of calculated complexes are obtained, and the interaction energies and Gibbs free energies are predicted. Good agreement was revealed for the theoretical and experimental adsorption energies of benzene and PAHs adsorbed on the carbon surfaces. The adsorption of benzene, PAHs, and NACs on carbon is suggested to be effective from the gas phase for all studied compounds and for PAHs and NACs also from water solution at room temperature.