Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Nitrogen Heterocycles Form Peptide Nucleic Acid Precursors In Complex Prebiotic Mixtures, Laura E. Rodriguez, Christopher H. House, Karen E. Smith, Melissa R. Roberts, Michael P. Callahan

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

The ability to store information is believed to have been crucial for the origin and evolution of life; however, little is known about the genetic polymers relevant to abiogenesis. Nitrogen heterocycles (N-heterocycles) are plausible components of such polymers as they may have been readily available on early Earth and are the means by which the extant genetic macromolecules RNA and DNA store information. Here, we report the reactivity of numerous N-heterocycles in highly complex mixtures, which were generated using a Miller-Urey spark discharge apparatus with either a reducing or neutral atmosphere, to investigate how N-heterocycles are modified under plausible prebiotic …