Unraveling abiotic organic synthesis pathways in the mafic crust of mid-ocean ridges
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: The aqueous alteration of the oceanic lithosphere provides significant energy that impacts the synthesis and diversity of organic compounds, which are crucial for the deep carbon cycle and may have provided the first building blocks for life. Although abiotic organic synthesis has been documented in mantle-derived rocks, the formation mechanisms and complexity of organic compounds in crustal rocks remain largely unknown. Here, we show the specific association of aliphatic carbonaceous matter with Fe oxyhydroxides in mafic crustal rocks of the Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR). We determine potential Fe-based pathways for abiotic organic synthesis from CO 2 and H 2 using multimodal and molecular nano-geochemical tools. Quantum mechanical modeling is further employed to constrain the catalytical activity of Fe oxyhydroxides, revealing that the catalytic cycle of hydrogen may play a key role in carbon–carbon bond formation. This approach offers the possibility of interpreting physicochemical organic formation and condensation mechanisms at an atomic scale. The findings expand our knowledge of the existence of abiotic organic carbon in the oceanic crustal rocks and emphasize the mafic oceanic crust of the SWIR as a potential site for low-temperature abiotic organic synthesis.
Institutions: Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research, Center for High Pressure Science & Technology Advanced Research, Institute of Deep-Sea Science and Engineering, Utrecht University, Macau University of Science and Technology, State Key Laboratory of Lunar and Planetary Sciences, Nanjing Xiaozhuang University, China University of Mining and Technology - Beijing, Southern University of Science and Technology, Philipps University of Marburg, Loewe Center for Synthetic Microbiology, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Climate action
Open Access status: hybrid
Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Universiteit Utrecht, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, China University of Mining and Technology, Hokkaido University, Max-Planck-Institut für Terrestrische Mikrobiologie, Peking University, Nanjing Xiaozhuang University, Southern University of Science and Technology, Macau University of Science and Technology, Sorbonne Université, Zentrum für Synthetische Mikrobiologie, Nationaal Regieorgaan Onderwijsonderzoek, National Key Research and Development Program of China, H2020 European Research Council
OpenAlex ID: W4403298230