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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
The Prebiotic Provenance Of Semi-Aqueous Solvents, Jennifer L. Lago, Bradley T. Burcar, Nicholas V. Hud, Rio Febrian, Christopher A. Mehta, Paul J. Bracher, Zachary D. Atlas, Matthew A. Pasek
The Prebiotic Provenance Of Semi-Aqueous Solvents, Jennifer L. Lago, Bradley T. Burcar, Nicholas V. Hud, Rio Febrian, Christopher A. Mehta, Paul J. Bracher, Zachary D. Atlas, Matthew A. Pasek
School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications
The numerous and varied roles of phosphorylated organic molecules in biochemistry suggest they may have been important to the origin of life. The prominence of phosphorylated molecules presents a conundrum given that phosphorylation is a thermodynamically unfavorable, endergonic process in water, and most natural sources of phosphate are poorly soluble. We recently demonstrated that a semi-aqueous solvent consisting of urea, ammonium formate, and water (UAFW) supports the dissolution of phosphate and the phosphorylation of nucleosides. However, the prebiotic feasibility and robustness of the UAFW system are unclear. Here, we study the UAFW system as a medium in which phosphate minerals …
Silicate-Promoted Phosphorylation Of Glycerol In Non-Aqueous Solvents: A Prebiotically Plausible Route To Organophosphates, Maheen Gull, Brian J. Cafferty, Nicholas V. Hud, Matthew A. Pasek
Silicate-Promoted Phosphorylation Of Glycerol In Non-Aqueous Solvents: A Prebiotically Plausible Route To Organophosphates, Maheen Gull, Brian J. Cafferty, Nicholas V. Hud, Matthew A. Pasek
School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications
Phosphorylation reactions of glycerol were studied using different inorganic phosphates such as sodium phosphate, trimetaphosphate (a condensed phosphate), and struvite. The reactions were carried out in two non-aqueous solvents: formamide and a eutectic solvent consisting of choline-chloride and glycerol in a ratio of 1:2.5. The glycerol reacted in formamide and in the eutectic solvent with phosphate to yield its phosphorylated derivatives in the presence of silicates such as quartz sand and kaolinite clay. The reactions were carried out by heating glycerol with a phosphate source at 85 °C for one week and were analyzed by 31P-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy …
Evidence For Reactive Reduced Phosphorus Species In The Early Archean Ocean, Matthew A. Pasek, Jelte P. Hammeijer, Roger Buick, Maheen Gull, Zachary D. Atlas
Evidence For Reactive Reduced Phosphorus Species In The Early Archean Ocean, Matthew A. Pasek, Jelte P. Hammeijer, Roger Buick, Maheen Gull, Zachary D. Atlas
School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications
It has been hypothesized that before the emergence of modern DNA–RNA–protein life, biology evolved from an “RNA world.” However, synthesizing RNA and other organophosphates under plausible early Earth conditions has proved difficult, with the incorporation of phosphorus (P) causing a particular problem because phosphate, where most environmental P resides, is relatively insoluble and unreactive. Recently, it has been proposed that during the Hadean–Archean heavy bombardment by extraterrestrial impactors, meteorites would have provided reactive P in the form of the iron–nickel phosphide mineral schreibersite. This reacts in water, releasing soluble and reactive reduced P species, such as phosphite, that could then …