The effects of ferrous and other ions on the abiotic formation of biomolecules using aqueous aerosols and spark discharges

It has been postulated that the oceans on early Earth had a salinity of 1.5 to 2 times the modern value and a pH between 4 and 10. Moreover, the presence of the banded iron formations shows that Fe(+2) was present in significant concentrations in the primitive oceans. Assuming the hypotheses above,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Origins of life and evolution of biospheres 2007-12, Vol.37 (6), p.507-521
Main Authors: Ruiz-Bermejo, M, Menor-Salván, C, Osuna-Esteban, S, Veintemillas-Verdaguer, S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aerosols
Aerosols - chemistry
Amino acids
Biogeochemistry
Biophysics
Carboxylic acids
Earth
Evolution, Chemical
Evolutionary biology
Ferrocyanides - chemistry
Ferrous Compounds - chemistry
Ions
Iron sulfides
Molecular biology
Oceans
Salinity
Seawater - chemistry
Sodium
Sodium bicarbonate
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Summary:It has been postulated that the oceans on early Earth had a salinity of 1.5 to 2 times the modern value and a pH between 4 and 10. Moreover, the presence of the banded iron formations shows that Fe(+2) was present in significant concentrations in the primitive oceans. Assuming the hypotheses above, in this work we explore the effects of Fe(+2) and other ions in the generation of biomolecules in prebiotic simulation experiments using spark discharges and aqueous aerosols. These aerosols have been prepared using different sources of Fe(+2), such as FeS, FeCl(2) and FeCO(3), and other salts (alkaline and alkaline earth chlorides and sodium bicarbonate at pH = 5.8). In all these experiments, we observed the formation of some amino acids, carboxylic acids and heterocycles, involved in biological processes. An interesting consequence of the presence of soluble Fe(+2) was the formation of Prussian Blue, Fe(4)[Fe(CN)(6)](3), which has been suggested as a possible reservoir of HCN in the initial prebiotic conditions on the Earth.
ISSN:0169-6149
1573-0875
DOI:10.1007/s11084-007-9107-0