Prebiotic synthesis at impact craters: the role of Fe-clays and iron meteorites

Pastorek, Adam; Hrnčířová, Jana; Jankovič, Ľuboš; Nejdl, Lukáš; Civiš, Svatopluk; Ivanek, Ondřej; Shestivská, Violetta; Knížek, Antonín; Kubelík, Petr; Šponer, Jiřı́; Petera, Lukáš; Křivková, Anna; Cassone, Giuseppe; Vaculovičová, Markéta; Šponer, Judit E.; Ferus, Martin

doi:10.1039/c9cc04627e

Cited by 16 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…These experiments show that PO 4 3− was widely available to prebiotic chemistry and nascent life on early Earth and potentially on other planets. It should be noted that our previous work demonstrates that water iron-rich smectites likely produced by water alteration of meteoritic material are plausible catalysts for the thermal synthesis of canonical nucleobases, hypoxanthine, purine, urea and glycine [29]. The synthetic potential of formamide as a prebiotic feedstock molecule was reported by the Saladino and Di Mauro groups and confirmed by other studies [73].…”

Section: Influence Of Ammonia (Nh3) Environment On Zncd Qds Emission supporting

confidence: 81%

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UV-Induced Nanoparticles-Formation, Properties and Their Potential Role in Origin of Life

et al. 2020

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Inorganic nanoparticles might have played a vital role in the transition from inorganic chemistry to self-sustaining living systems. Such transition may have been triggered or controlled by processes requiring not only versatile catalysts but also suitable reaction surfaces. Here, experimental results showing that multicolor quantum dots might have been able to participate as catalysts in several specific and nonspecific reactions, relevant to the prebiotic chemistry are demonstrated. A very fast and easy UV-induced formation of ZnCd quantum dots (QDs) with a quantum yield of up to 47% was shown to occur 5 min after UV exposure of the solution containing Zn(II) and Cd(II) in the presence of a thiol capping agent. In addition to QDs formation, xanthine activity was observed in the solution. The role of solar radiation to induce ZnCd QDs formation was replicated during a stratospheric balloon flight.

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Section: Influence Of Ammonia (Nh3) Environment On Zncd Qds Emission supporting

confidence: 81%

“…Equally, sulfur chemistry was typical for hydrothermal vents on early Earth. In some impact structures, the metal content was enhanced with the addition of thiols and NH 3 [29]. These structures were also subjected to alteration by liquid water.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

UV-Induced Nanoparticles-Formation, Properties and Their Potential Role in Origin of Life

et al. 2020

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“…As was mentioned in the Introduction, hypoxanthine was detected by Ferus et al [ 12 ] and by Enchev et al [ 13 ] by heating pure formamide at 160°C for 24 hours and at 140°C for 2 weeks, respectively. Here, we suggest a formamide/formimidic acid‐catalytic mechanism of hypoxanthine formation from urea, formic acid, and glycinamide.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…[ 10 ] Barks et al [ 11 ] obtained a very small quantity of hypoxanthine through a purely thermal process, heating neat formamide to 130°C. Quite recently, Ferus et al [ 12 ] and Enchev et al [ 13 ] observed canonical RNA nucleobases, hypoxanthine, urea, and the amino acid glycine heating pure formamide.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self‐catalytic mechanism of prebiotic reactions: II. From urea and glycinamide to hypoxanthine

Enchev

Slavova

2020

Int J of Quantum Chemistry

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Mechanisms of reactions for formylation of urea, leading to N,N′‐diformylurea, and for the dehydration of glycinamide and N,N′‐diformylurea, yielding hypoxanthine, are suggested. It is shown that these reactions are self‐catalyzed. The first is catalyzed by formic acid, while the second is catalyzed by N,N′‐diformylurea. The suggested reaction mechanism shows that the N3 and N9 atoms of hypoxanthine originate from urea in agreement with available 1H NMR experimental data by Lagoja and Herdewijn (Lagoja & Herdewijn, Chem. Biodiv. 2004, 1, 106). A complete reaction pathway of prebiotic reactions for formation of the hypoxanthine from urea, formic acid, and glycinamide in formamide, where formamide/formimidic acid plays the role of a proton‐carrying catalyst, is also suggested.

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“…The typical thermal formamide-based synthesis is depicted in Figure 4. This mechanism is also very plausible in post-impact hydrothermal environment with metal-rich water altered minerals containing both original material from the impactor and formamide likely produced in the early planetary environment [201]. Formic acid, HCOOH, is often overlooked in prebiotic synthesis, even though it was a major product in the famous Miller-Urey experiment.…”

Section: State Of the Art: Prebiotic Synthesismentioning

confidence: 99%

Ariel – a window to the origin of life on early earth?

et al. 2020

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Is there life beyond Earth? An ideal research program would first ascertain how life on Earth began and then use this as a blueprint for its existence elsewhere. But the origin of life on Earth is still not understood, what then could be the way forward? Upcoming observations of terrestrial exoplanets provide a unique opportunity for answering this fundamental question through the study of other planetary systems. If we are able to see how physical and chemical environments similar to the early Earth evolve we open a window into our own Hadean eon, despite all information from this time being long lost from our planet's geological record. A careful investigation of the chemistry expected on young exoplanets is therefore necessary, and the preparation of reference materials for spectroscopic observations is of paramount importance. In particular, the deduction of chemical markers identifying specific processes and features in exoplanetary environments, ideally "uniquely". For instance, prebiotic feedstock molecules, in the form of aerosols and vapours, could be observed in transmission spectra in the near future whilst their surface deposits could be observed from reflectance spectra. The same detection methods also promise to identify particular intermediates of chemical and physical processes known to be prebiotically plausible. Is Ariel truly able to open a window to the past and answer questions concerning the origin of life on our planet and the universe? In this paper, we discuss aspects of prebiotic chemistry that will help in formulating future observational and data interpretation strategies for the Ariel mission. This paper is intended to open a discussion and motivate future detailed laboratory studies of prebiotic processes on young exoplanets and their chemical signatures.

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Prebiotic synthesis at impact craters: the role of Fe-clays and iron meteorites

Abstract: Iron-rich smectites formed by reprocessing of basalts due to the residual post-impact heat could catalyze the synthesis and accumulation of important prebiotic building blocks such as nucleobases, amino acids and urea.

Cited by 16 publications

References 28 publications

UV-Induced Nanoparticles-Formation, Properties and Their Potential Role in Origin of Life

UV-Induced Nanoparticles-Formation, Properties and Their Potential Role in Origin of Life

Self‐catalytic mechanism of prebiotic reactions: II. From urea and glycinamide to hypoxanthine

Ariel – a window to the origin of life on early earth?

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