Unsaturated C3,5,7,9-Monocarboxylic Acids by Aqueous, One-Pot Carbon Fixation: Possible Relevance for the Origin of Life

Scheidler, Christopher M.; Sobotta, Jessica; Eisenreich, Wolfgang; Wächtershäuser, Günter; Huber, Claudia

doi:10.1038/srep27595

Cited by 26 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 43 publications

(57 reference statements)

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“…Ni 2+ ions may have served as the required oxidant, as evidenced by Ni 0 particles that have previously been shown to form from NiS with CO as reductants under similar conditions [9]. In agreement with a previous proposal [10], the thioacetic acid S-methyl ester (methyl thioacetate) was formed (2µM in one day) by the reaction of acetylene with methanethiol. A shorter reaction time was chosen due to the chemical instability of methyl thioacetate, which is readily hydrolyzed into acetic acid.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 89%

A Possible Primordial Acetyleno/Carboxydotrophic Core Metabolism

Sobotta

Geisberger

Moosmann

et al. 2020

Life

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Carbon fixation, in addition to the evolution of metabolism, is a main requirement for the evolution of life. Here, we report a one-pot carbon fixation of acetylene (C2H2) and carbon monoxide (CO) by aqueous nickel sulfide (NiS) under hydrothermal (>100 °C) conditions. A slurry of precipitated NiS converts acetylene and carbon monoxide into a set of C2–4-products that are surprisingly representative for C2–4-segments of all four central CO2-fixation cycles of the domains Bacteria and Archaea, whereby some of the products engage in the same interconversions, as seen in the central CO2-fixation cycles. The results suggest a primordial, chemically predetermined, non-cyclic acetyleno/carboxydotrophic core metabolism. This metabolism is based on aqueous organo–metal chemistry, from which the extant central CO2-fixation cycles based on thioester chemistry would have evolved by piecemeal modifications.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 89%

A Possible Primordial Acetyleno/Carboxydotrophic Core Metabolism

Sobotta

Geisberger

Moosmann

et al. 2020

Life

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“…Some catalytic (CA) mechanisms (besides FTT synthesis) also produce fatty acids. The four most likely to produce fatty acids longer than SM2 in planetesimals are the reaction of CO with acetylene (C 2 H 2 ) in the presence of nickel sulfide (Scheidler et al 2016), the reaction of aqueous formamide in the presence of carbonaceous chondrite material (Rotelli et al 2016), and the elongation and shortening of carboxylic acids that are adsorbed onto a catalyst like Fe or Ni through the reaction (2011) 2 NC nCO2(aq) + (3 n -2) H2(aq) − −→ (CH2)n O2(aq) + (2 n -2) H2O SCMA Shock and Canovas (2010) with CO and H 2 , and H 2 O, respectively (de Klerk 2011, Schulz et al 1988). Cody et al (2004) also produced a wide array of straight-chain and branched-chain monocarboxylic acids by reacting nonane thiol with carbon monoxide in aqueous solution in the presence of transition metal sulfides.…”

Section: Reaction Mechanismsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Meteoritic abundances of fatty acids and potential reaction pathways in planetesimals

Lai

Pearce

Lee

2019

Icarus

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The origin of fatty acids on the prebiotic Earth is important as they likely formed the encapsulating membranes of the first protocells. Carbon-rich meteorites (i.e., carbonaceous chondrites) such as Murchison and Tagish Lake are well known to contain these molecules, and their delivery to the early planet by intense early meteorite bombardments constitutes a key prebiotic source. We collect the fatty acid abundances measured in various carbonaceous chondrites from the literature and analyze them for patterns and correlations. Fatty acids in meteorites include straight-chain and branchedchain monocarboxylic and dicarboxylic acids up to 12 carbons in length-fatty acids with at least 8 carbons are required to form vesicles, and modern cell membranes employ lipids with ∼12-20 carbons. To understand the origin of meteoritic fatty acids, we search the literature for abiotic fatty acid reaction pathways and create a candidate list of 11 reactions that could potentially produce these fatty acids in meteorite parent bodies. Straight-chain monocarboxylic acids (SCMA) are the dominant fatty acids in meteorites, followed by branched-chain monocarboxylic acids (BCMA). SCMA are most abundant in CM2 and Tagish Lake (ungrouped) meteorites, ranging on average from 10 2 ppb to 4×10 5 ppb, and 10 4 ppb to 5×10 6 ppb, respectively. In CM, CV, and Tagish Lake meteorites, SCMA abundances generally decrease with increasing carbon chain length. Conversely, SCMA abundances in CR meteorites peak at 5 and 6 carbons in length, and decrease on either side of this peak. This unique CR fatty acid distribution may hint at terrestrial contamination, or that certain fatty acid reactions mechanisms are active in different meteorite parent bodies (planetesimals). We identify Fischer-Tropsch-type synthesis as the most promising pathway for further analysis in the production of fatty acids in planetesimals.

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“…Another important study is based on one-pot reactions of acetylene and CO in the presence of nickel sulfide in an aqueous environment mimicking hydrothermal subseafloor vents. [137] The primary products detected are unsaturated short-to medium-chain carboxylic acids with uneven carbon numbers that can undergo further reduction in the presence of CO. Figure 13. Functional and less necessary elements in pyridoxal and pyridoxamine phosphates (101) and core (blue: necessary functional elements; green: required for binding to a macromolecular template, but structural flexibility is presumed to be allowed; red: less necessary structural elements).…”

Section: Considerations On the Prebiotic Formation Of Lipoic Acid (63mentioning

confidence: 99%

Coenzymes and Their Role in the Evolution of Life

Kirschning

2020

Angew Chem Int Ed

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in 1991, where he finished his habilitation in 1996. In 2000 he moved to Leibniz University Hannover. His research interests cover structure elucidation as well as the semi-and total synthesis of natural products. Scheme 2. Hypotheses on coenzyme-dependent enzyme evolution; A) as part of RNA-world theory; B) evolution in a coded protein world (in this scheme, the term coenzyme includes small molecules as well as metal cations or metal complexes).

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Unsaturated C3,5,7,9-Monocarboxylic Acids by Aqueous, One-Pot Carbon Fixation: Possible Relevance for the Origin of Life

Cited by 26 publications

References 43 publications

A Possible Primordial Acetyleno/Carboxydotrophic Core Metabolism

A Possible Primordial Acetyleno/Carboxydotrophic Core Metabolism

Meteoritic abundances of fatty acids and potential reaction pathways in planetesimals

Coenzymes and Their Role in the Evolution of Life

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