Work

Redox and pH gradients drive amino acid synthesis in iron oxyhydroxide mineral systems

Year: 2019

Type: article

Abstract: Significance Amino acids are formed from simple organic precursors in iron oxyhydroxide mineral systems that contain geochemical gradients. Redox and pH gradients significantly impact reaction pathways: Amino acids only form when the mineral contains both oxidized and reduced iron, and when the surrounding solution is alkaline. This shows that aqueous, partially reducing iron mineral systems (which would have been common in early-Earth seafloor/vent environments) could have facilitated synthesis and concentration of prebiotic organic molecules relevant for the emergence of life. It also suggests that geochemical gradients in vent environments can drive product selectivity for prebiotic chemistry, perhaps leading to more complex organic reaction systems as these molecules continue to diffuse and react under different conditions within the gradients.

Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1812098116

Authors: Laura M. Barge, Erika Flores, Marc M. Baum, David G. VanderVelde, Michael J. Russell

Institutions: California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Oak Crest Institute of Science

Language: English

Topic: Origins and Evolution of Life

Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, California Institute of Technology, NASA Astrobiology Institute, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

OpenAlex ID: W2917196427