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Schreibersite On The Early Earth: Scenarios For Prebiotic Phosphorylation, Matthew A. Pasek
Schreibersite On The Early Earth: Scenarios For Prebiotic Phosphorylation, Matthew A. Pasek
School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications
The mineral schreibersite, (Fe,Ni)3P, provides a reactive source of phosphorus capable of forming phosphorylated molecules. These molecules may have been an important component of prebiotic chemistry, allowing their build-up and eventual commencement of autopoiesis. Discussed here are potential geochemical routes to providing schreibersite, as a potentially important prebiotic mineral, to the Hadean Earth. Two routes are identified: delivery of phosphides by meteoritic material and the reduction of phosphates to phosphides by high-temperature, low-redox conditions. About 1–10% of all crustal phosphorus is estimated to have been in schreibersite during the Hadean, making the long-term reaction of this mineral with organic-laden …
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 …