Potential for irradiation of methane to form complex organic molecules in impact craters: Implications for Mars, Titan and Europa

Parnell, John; Baron, Martin; Lindgren, P.

doi:10.1016/j.gexplo.2005.11.024

Cited by 12 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…It has been detected in comets [33], as in the case of comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) [34] and comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) [35], in the solid phase on grains around the young stellar object W33A [36], in the galactic center sources Sagittarius SgrA and SgrB2 [37,38] and, in general, in the interstellar medium [39]. In addition, recent data suggest the presence of formamide on some celestial bodies in the solar system, including Titan and the Jupiter's satellite Europa, where a stratosphere of liquid formamide (pure or partially mixed with water) below the frozen surface of the mantle has been hypothesized [40][41][42].…”

Section: Formamidementioning

confidence: 99%

Formamide and the origin of life

Saladino

Crestini

Pino

et al. 2012

Physics of Life Reviews

254

234

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The complexity of life boils down to the definition: "self-sustained chemical system capable of undergoing Darwinian evolution" (Joyce, 1994) [1]. The term "self-sustained" implies a set of chemical reactions capable of harnessing energy from the environment, using it to carry out programmed anabolic and catabolic functions. We briefly present our opinion on the general validity of this definition.Running anabolic and catabolic functions entails complex chemical information whose stability, reproducibility and evolution constitute the core of what is dubbed genetics.Life as-we-know-it is made of the intimate interaction of metabolism and genetics, both built around the chemistry of the most common elements of the Universe (hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon). Other elements like phosphorus and sulphur play important but ancillary and potentially replaceable roles.The reproducible interaction of metabolic and genetic cycles results in the hypercycles of organization and de-organization of chemical information that we consider living entities. In order to approach the problem of the origin of life it is therefore reasonable to start from the assumption that both metabolism and genetics had a common origin, shared a common chemical frame, were embedded in physical-chemical conditions favourable for the onset of both.The most abundant three-atoms organic compound in interstellar environment is hydrogen cyanide HCN, the most abundant three-atoms inorganic compound is water H 2 O. The combination of the two results in the formation of formamide H 2 NCOH. We have explored the chemistry of formamide in conditions compatible with the synthesis and the stability of compounds of potential pre-genetic and pre-metabolic interest. We discuss evidence showing (i) that all the compounds necessary for the build-up of nucleic acids are easily obtained abiotically, (ii) that essentially all the steps leading to the spontaneous generation of RNA are abiotically possible, (iii) that the key compounds of extant metabolic cycles are obtained in the same chemical frame, often in the same test tube.How close are these observations to a plausible scenario for the origin of life?

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Section: Formamidementioning

confidence: 99%

Formamide and the origin of life

Saladino

Crestini

Pino

et al. 2012

Physics of Life Reviews

254

234

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“…28,29 Recent data suggest the presence of NH 2 CHO also on Titan and Europa, where a stratosphere of liquid formamide (pure or partially mixed with water) below the frozen surface of the mantle has been hypothesized. [30][31][32] Scheme 1 describes the basic chemistry of NH 2 CHO and HCN considering selected examples of three main types of transformations: the preparative reactions, the degradation reactions and the reactions of conversion between the two compounds. From the preparative point of view, HCN can be prepared from gaseous mixtures of methane (CH 4 ) and ammonia (NH 3 ) in the presence of platinum 33 or corona discharge, 34 by ion-irradiation and/or UV-photolysis of N 2 -rich ice containing CH 4 , 35 from CH 4 and NH 3 at high temperature in the presence of Al 2 O 3 with a suspension of Pt group metal and nitrides of Al, B, Ti, and Si 36 or by yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) cells with Pt electrodes.…”

Section: Ernesto DI Mauromentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetics first or metabolism first? The formamide clue

et al. 2012

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Life is made of the intimate interaction of metabolism and genetics, both built around the chemistry of the most common elements of the Universe (hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon). The transmissible interaction of metabolic and genetic cycles results in the hypercycles of organization and de-organization of chemical information, of living and non-living. The origin-of-life quest has long been split into several attitudes exemplified by the aphorisms "genetics-first" or "metabolism-first". Recently, the opposition between these approaches has been solved by more unitary theoretical and experimental frames taking into account energetic, evolutionary, proto-metabolic and environmental aspects. Nevertheless, a unitary and simple chemical frame is still needed that could afford both the precursors of the synthetic pathways eventually leading to RNA and to the key components of the central metabolic cycles, possibly connected with the synthesis of fatty acids. In order to approach the problem of the origin of life it is therefore reasonable to start from the assumption that both metabolism and genetics had a common origin, shared a common chemical frame, and were embedded under physical-chemical conditions favourable for the onset of both. The singleness of such a prebiotically productive chemical process would partake of Darwinian advantages over more complex fragmentary chemical systems. The prebiotic chemistry of formamide affords in a single and simple physical-chemical frame nucleic bases, acyclonucleosides, nucleotides, biogenic carboxylic acids, sugars, amino sugars, amino acids and condensing agents. Thus, we suggest the possibility that formamide could have jointly provided the main components for the onset of both (pre)genetic and (pre)metabolic processes. As a note of caution, we discuss the fact that these observations only indicate possible solutions at the level of organic substrates, not at the systemic chemical level.

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“…Formamide is an ubiquitous molecule [14], present in comets [15], in Solar System satellites [16], in the interstellar medium [17]. What makes it attractive as a potential source of a prebiotic process is that (i) The major pathway leading to its synthesis consists in the reaction between H 2 O and HCN hydrogen cyanide, the two most abundant three-atoms combinations, respectively inorganic and organic, in space (www.astrochemistry.net).…”

Section: Formamidementioning

confidence: 99%