New Insights into the Characterization of ‘Insoluble Black HCN Polymers’

Ruíz-Bermejo, Marta; Fuente, José de la; Rogero, Celia; Menor‐Salván, César; Osuna‐Esteban, Susana; Martín‐Gago, José A.

doi:10.1002/cbdv.201100036

Cited by 37 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…However, XPS C 1s high resolution spectra of deposited coatings and the components that can be fitted for these spectra (Figure 2a) are consistent with the structural elements that have been proposed for HCN-derived polymers. [32][33][34] The XPS survey spectrum (Figure 2b) also reflects the unusually high N/C (N/C = 0.61 ± 0.02), which is characteristic for these coatings. In comparison, common nitrogenous polymers used in biomedical applications such as polyethyleneimine, poly(L-lysine) and polyallylamine have significantly lower N/C ratios of 0.5, 0.33 and 0.33, respectively.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 91%

Prebiotic-chemistry inspired polymer coatings for biomedical and material science applications

et al. 2015

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In the field of prebiotic chemistry, hydrogen cyanide (HCN)-derived polymers have been studied for many years as a possible source of the precursors that provide the building blocks for proteins as well as nucleic acids, and they have also been associated with the origin of life. The HCN trimer, aminomalononitrile (AMN), polymerizes to give a brown complex nitrogenous polymer. We report the one-step polymerization-deposition of AMN as a simple generic surface-coating method and as an application of prebiotic chemical research to material science. We found that this polymerization, carried out in buffered aqueous solutions, can be used to coat a wide range of organic and inorganic substrate materials. The robust, non-cytotoxic coatings also provide for excellent cell attachment, suggesting potential biomedical applications. Furthermore, the coating chemistry allows for the immobilization of other compounds, including metals, both during coating formation or by performing secondary immobilization reactions.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 91%

Prebiotic-chemistry inspired polymer coatings for biomedical and material science applications

et al. 2015

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“…These particular analytical and synthetic conditions were not reported previously in the literature. Moreover, it is necessary to indicate that the monomers identified in the HCN polymers, after hydrolysis, are likely absorbed in the polymeric network, and the hydrolysis releases them . The yields observed for each monomer are generally very low, so we can say that these monomers are not a crucial part of the polymeric network, and they are just absorbed.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Aqueous Aerosols in the “Glyoxylate Scenario”: An Experimental Approach

Marín-Yaseli

González-Toril

Mompeán

et al. 2016

Chemistry A European J

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The origin of life is one of the fundamental questions in science. Eschenmoser proposed the "glyoxylate scenario", in which plausible abiotic synthesis pathways were suggested to be compatible with the constraints of prebiotic chemistry. In this proposal, the stem compound is HCN. In this work, we explore the "glyoxylate scenario" through several syntheses of HCN polymers, paying particular attention to the role of the aqueous aerosols, together with statistical methods, as a step to elucidate the synthetic problem of the origin of life. The soluble and insoluble HCN polymers synthetized were analyzed by GC-MS. We identified, for the first time, glyoxylic acid in these polymers, together with some constituents of the reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle, amino acids and several N-heterocycles. The findings presented herein, as the first global approach to the "glyoxylate scenario", give full effect to this hypothesis and prove that aqueous aerosols could play an important role in this plausible scene of the origin of life.

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“…Like other prebiotic polymers, the ability of cyanamide/glyoxal oligomers to retain water and other low‐molecular‐weight polar solvents can be assessed by thermogravimetric (TG) analysis followed by GC‐MS measurements. The TG curves (Figure ; see the Supporting Information) were observed to be similar for all oligomers, regardless of the initial cyanamide/glyoxal ratio, and showed a gradual weight loss between room temperature and 400 °C (about 40–50 %), which became less pronounced as the glyoxal content increased to 1:2 stoichiometry.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prebiotic‐Like Condensations of Cyanamide and Glyoxal: Revisiting Intractable Biotars

Lavado¹,

Escamilla²,

Авалос³

et al. 2016

Chemistry A European J

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We report a detailed investigation into the nature of products that are generated by the reactions of cyanamide and glyoxal, two small molecules of astrochemical and prebiotic significance, under different experimental conditions. The experimental data suggest that the formation of oligomeric structures is related in part to the formation of insoluble tholins in the presence of oxygen-containing molecules. Although oligomerization proceeds well in water, product isolation turned out to be impractical. Instead, solid precipitates were obtained easily in acetone. Crude mixtures have been thoroughly scrutinized by spectroscopic methods, in particular NMR and mass spectroscopy (ESI mode), which are all consistent with the generation of a few functional groups that are embedded into regular chains of five- and six-membered rings, thereby pointing to a supramolecular organization. Three different models of cross-condensation and chain growth are suggested. These synthetic explorations provide further insights into the formation of complex organic matter in interstellar scenarios and extraterrestrial bodies that might have played a pivotal role in chemical evolution.

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New Insights into the Characterization of ‘Insoluble Black HCN Polymers’

Cited by 37 publications

References 39 publications

Prebiotic-chemistry inspired polymer coatings for biomedical and material science applications

Prebiotic-chemistry inspired polymer coatings for biomedical and material science applications

The Role of Aqueous Aerosols in the “Glyoxylate Scenario”: An Experimental Approach

Prebiotic‐Like Condensations of Cyanamide and Glyoxal: Revisiting Intractable Biotars

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