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Mimicking the surface and prebiotic chemistry of early Earth using flow chemistry.

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Battilocchio, Claudio  ORCID logo  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4601-8527
Ley, Steven V 
Sutherland, John D 

Abstract

When considering life's aetiology, the first questions that must be addressed are "how?" and "where?" were ostensibly complex molecules, considered necessary for life's beginning, constructed from simpler, more abundant feedstock molecules on primitive Earth. Previously, we have used multiple clues from the prebiotic synthetic requirements of (proto)biomolecules to pinpoint a set of closely related geochemical scenarios that are suggestive of flow and semi-batch chemistries. We now wish to report a multistep, uninterrupted synthesis of a key heterocycle (2-aminooxazole) en route to activated nucleotides starting from highly plausible, prebiotic feedstock molecules under conditions which mimic this scenario. Further consideration of the scenario has uncovered additional pertinent and novel aspects of prebiotic chemistry, which greatly enhance the efficiency and plausibility of the synthesis.

Description

Keywords

Aldehydes, Earth, Planet, Molecular Mimicry, Origin of Life, Oxazoles, Photochemical Processes, Physical Phenomena, Surface Properties

Journal Title

Nat Commun

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

2041-1723
2041-1723

Volume Title

9

Publisher

Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Sponsorship
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/K009494/1)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/M004120/1)
European Commission Horizon 2020 (H2020) Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) (737266)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/K039520/1)