High‐Energy Proton‐Beam‐Induced Polymerization/Oxygenation of Hydroxynaphthalenes on Meteorites and Nitrogen Transfer from Urea: Modeling Insoluble Organic Matter?

Abstract

Formation ands tructural modification of oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(oxyPAHs) by UV irradiation on mineralsh ave recently been proposeda sapossible channel of PAHt ransformation in astrochemicala nd prebiotic scenarioso fp ossible relevance for the origin of life. Herein,i ti sd emonstratedt hat high-energyp roton-beam irradiation in the presence of variousm eteorites, including stony iron, achondrite,a nd chondrite types, promotes the conversion of two representative oxyPAH compounds, 1naphthol and 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene, to complexm ixtures of oxygenated and oligomeric derivatives. The main identified products include polyhydroxy derivatives, isomeric dimers encompassing benzofuran and benzopyrans caffolds, and, notably,ar ange of quinones and perylened erivatives. Additiono fu rea, ap rebiotically relevant chemical precursor, expanded the range of identified species to include,a mong others, quinone diimines. Proton-beam irradiation of oxyPAH modulated by nitrogen-containing compounds such as urea is proposed as ap ossible contributory mechanism for the formation and processing of insoluble organic matter in meteorites and in prebiotic processes.

Aminomalononitrile inspired prebiotic chemistry as a novel multicomponent tool for the synthesis of imidazole and purine derivatives with anti-influenza A virus activity

“…The organic layer was evaporated under reduced pressure to afford 5a-f and 7a-f in quantitative yield. 1 H-NMR and 13…”

“…5 More recently, prebiotic MCC involving formamide (NH 2 CHO), a product of hydrolysis of HCN, 6 yielded a robust chemical framework for the synthesis of sugars, carboxylic acids, amino acids and heterocyclic compounds, including purine and pyrimidine nucleobases and nucleosides. [7][8][9][10][11][12][13] A number of unnatural derivatives were also synthesized by the combination of the initial products, including peptide nucleic acids 14 and modied acyclic nucleosides, 15 which belong to well-known antiviral drug families. 16 In particular, peptide nucleic acid derivatives are characterized by high antiviral activity against inuenza A, HIV and HBV viruses.…”

Meteorite-catalyzed intermoleculartrans-glycosylation produces nucleosides under proton beam irradiation

“…54 Meteorites represent a clear-cut case for the role of catalyst complexity in prebiotic process. 55 The contemporary presence in meteorites of different minerals and metal oxides in both crystalline and amorphous states furnish a large variety of Lewis acid catalytic sites 56 to improve the glycosylation process, in accordance with the role played by organometallic species in this kind of reaction. 57 In particular, titanium silico-aluminate, nickel, and iron derivatives present in NWA 1465 are reported as effective Lewis acid transition metal sites in the glycosylation of carbohydrates.…”

The role of borosilicate glass in Miller–Urey experiment

“…Irrespective of the possible lack of correspondence 45 , 46 of the early Earth atmosphere with that originally proposed by Miller-Urey, these results show the efficiency and the prebiotic worth of the borosilicate/spark discharge system. The presence of high molecular weight products is exemplified by the presence of a dipeptide, of multi-carbon atoms dicarboxylic acids, of PAHs 47 , of a complete panel of biological nucleobases, and, markedly, by the rich variety of different classes of compounds. In summary, Miller recreated in his experiments the atmosphere and waters of the primitive Earth.…”