Adsorption of amino acid entantiomers by Na-montmorillonite

Friebele, Elaine; Shimoyama, Akira; Hare, P. E.; Ponnamperuma, Cyril

doi:10.1007/bf00928007

Cited by 21 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Using Na-montmorillonite and a racemic mixture of several amino acids, Friebele et al (1981) did not observe any difference in adsorption between the D-and L-enantiomers [27]. This finding is not altogether surprising since clay minerals have no chirality in their bulk structures although the layer structure of kaolinite may be chiral due to the presence and positioning of vacancies ( Figure 3).…”

Section: Optical Discriminationmentioning

confidence: 93%

Role of Clay Minerals in Chemical Evolution and the Origins of Life

Hashizume¹

2012

Clay Minerals in Nature - Their Characterization, Modification and Application

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Section: Optical Discriminationmentioning

confidence: 93%

Role of Clay Minerals in Chemical Evolution and the Origins of Life

Hashizume¹

2012

Clay Minerals in Nature - Their Characterization, Modification and Application

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“…While genomic material can be multiplied using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), many other biomolecules are not prone to such multiplication techniques and thus need to be concentrated for detection and identification. Biomolecules or biota can be freely present in water reservoirs but can also be intercalated in the matrix of minerals, which obstructs efficient extraction [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 155 , 156 ].…”

Section: Techniques Currently In Use For Biomarker Detection: How mentioning

confidence: 99%

Biota and Biomolecules in Extreme Environments on Earth: Implications for Life Detection on Mars

Aerts

Röling

Elsaesser

et al. 2014

Life

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The three main requirements for life as we know it are the presence of organic compounds, liquid water, and free energy. Several groups of organic compounds (e.g., amino acids, nucleobases, lipids) occur in all life forms on Earth and are used as diagnostic molecules, i.e., biomarkers, for the characterization of extant or extinct life. Due to their indispensability for life on Earth, these biomarkers are also prime targets in the search for life on Mars. Biomarkers degrade over time; in situ environmental conditions influence the preservation of those molecules. Nonetheless, upon shielding (e.g., by mineral surfaces), particular biomarkers can persist for billions of years, making them of vital importance in answering questions about the origins and limits of life on early Earth and Mars. The search for organic material and biosignatures on Mars is particularly challenging due to the hostile environment and its effect on organic compounds near the surface. In support of life detection on Mars, it is crucial to investigate analogue environments on Earth that resemble best past and present Mars conditions. Terrestrial extreme environments offer a rich source of information allowing us to determine how extreme conditions affect life and molecules associated with it. Extremophilic organisms have adapted to the most stunning conditions on Earth in environments with often unique geological and chemical features. One challenge in detecting biomarkers is to optimize extraction, since organic molecules can be low in abundance and can strongly adsorb to mineral surfaces. Methods and analytical tools in the field of life science are continuously improving. Amplification methods are very useful for the detection of low concentrations of genomic material but most other organic molecules are not prone to amplification methods. Therefore, a great deal depends on the extraction efficiency. The questions “what to look for”, “where to look”, and “how to look for it” require more of our attention to ensure the success of future life detection missions on Mars.

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“…The main interest in silicon has not been as the backbone molecule of a life system, but its role as a surface adsorbent and catalyst for proper alignment and polymerization of polyadenines and polyuracils (Burton et al, 1974;Ding et al, 1996;Ertem and Ferris, 1996Ferris et al, 1996Ferris et al, , 1988Ferris et al, , 1989Ferris and Ertem, 1992;Friebele et al, 1980Friebele et al, , 1981Huang and Ferris, 2003;Kawamura and Ferris, 1999;Miyakawa and Ferris, 2003;Paecht-Horowitz and Eirich, 1988;Trevors, 1997a). But polyadenines and polyuracils, like the monotonous clay crystals to which they adsorb, contain almost no Shannon uncertainty (often misnamed ''information'').…”

Section: Astrobiological Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chance and necessity do not explain the origin of life

Trevors

Abel

2004

Cell Biology International

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Where and how did the complex genetic instruction set programmed into DNA come into existence? The genetic set may have arisen elsewhere and was transported to the Earth. If not, it arose on the Earth, and became the genetic code in a previous lifeless, physical-chemical world. Even if RNA or DNA were inserted into a lifeless world, they would not contain any genetic instructions unless each nucleotide selection in the sequence was programmed for function. Even then, a predetermined communication system would have had to be in place for any message to be understood at the destination. Transcription and translation would not necessarily have been needed in an RNA world. Ribozymes could have accomplished some of the simpler functions of current protein enzymes. Templating of single RNA strands followed by retemplating back to a sense strand could have occurred. But this process does not explain the derivation of "sense" in any strand. "Sense" means algorithmic function achieved through sequences of certain decision-node switch-settings. These particular primary structures determine secondary and tertiary structures. Each sequence determines minimum-free-energy folding propensities, binding site specificity, and function. Minimal metabolism would be needed for cells to be capable of growth and division. All known metabolism is cybernetic--that is, it is programmatically and algorithmically organized and controlled.

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Adsorption of amino acid entantiomers by Na-montmorillonite

Cited by 21 publications

References 10 publications

Role of Clay Minerals in Chemical Evolution and the Origins of Life

Role of Clay Minerals in Chemical Evolution and the Origins of Life

Biota and Biomolecules in Extreme Environments on Earth: Implications for Life Detection on Mars

Chance and necessity do not explain the origin of life

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