Prebiotic, planetary and interstellar chemistry starting from compounds detected in the interstellar medium

Guillemin, Jean‐Claude; Bouyahyi, Miloud; Riague, El Hassan

doi:10.1016/j.asr.2003.07.015

Cited by 21 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Nevertheless, a number of simple candidate precursors have been characterized, [8] which include hydrogen cyanide (HCN), [9] urea, [10,11] formamide, [12,13] and acetylene. [14] Furthermore, pathways for the formation of nucleobases, nucleosides, and nucleotides from these precursors have been proposed. [15][16][17][18] Despite extensive experimental exploration of prebiotic routes for the formation of nucleobases and analogues heterocycles, theoretical studies exploring the underlying mechanisms of such prebiotic reactions have been scarce.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cyanoacetaldehyde as a building block for prebiotic formation of pyrimidines

Kaur

Sharma

2019

Int J of Quantum Chemistry

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The present study uses density functional theory to investigate the possible free radical pathways for cytosine and uracil formation from cyanoacetaldehyde in the presence of urea and ammonia. Our proposed mechanisms are characterized by a smaller number of precursors and relatively lower barriers compared to previously reported reactions with other prebiotic precursors. Thus, the proposed mechanisms are more plausible in environments like prebiotic earth and present‐day Titan. Overall, this study suggests a kinetically accessible route to pyrimidine formation and will hopefully contribute toward understanding the relevance of these precursors in prebiotic reactions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cyanoacetaldehyde as a building block for prebiotic formation of pyrimidines

Kaur

Sharma

2019

Int J of Quantum Chemistry

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“…This includes potential reactions in the early terrestrial atmosphere [2,3], geothermal chemistry in the Earth’s crust [4,5] as well as extraterrestrial sources [6,7,8]. In practically all these cases, the interesting molecular species are formed in very low quantities and in an extremely diluted state.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Selection of Prebiotic Molecules in Amphiphilic Environments

Mayer

Schreiber

Dávila

2017

Life

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A basic problem in all postulated pathways of prebiotic chemistry is the low concentration which generally is expected for interesting reactants in fluid environments. Even though compounds, like nucleobases, sugars or peptides, principally may form spontaneously under environmental conditions, they will always be rapidly diluted in an aqueous environment. In addition, any such reaction leads to side products which often exceed the desired compound and generally hamper the first steps of a subsequent molecular evolution. Therefore, a mechanism of selection and accumulation of relevant prebiotic compounds seems to be crucial for molecular evolution. A very efficient environment for selection and accumulation can be found in the fluid continuum circulating in tectonic fault zones. Vesicles which form spontaneously at a depth of approximately 1 km present a selective trap for amphiphilic molecules, especially for peptides composed of hydrophilic and hydrophobic amino acids in a suitable sequence. The accumulation effect is shown in a numeric simulation on a simplified model. Further, possible mechanisms of a molecular evolution in vesicle membranes are discussed. Altogether, the proposed scenario can be seen as an ideal environment for constant, undisturbed molecular evolution in and on cell-like compartments.

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“…[19][20][21], or even in the interstellar medium, including more than a hundred organic compounds that may serve as starting points for a complex interstellar chemistry [e.g. 22].…”

Section: Revisiting Chemical Evolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical evolution and life

Malaterre

2015

BIO Web of Conferences

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Abstract. In research on the origins of life, the concept of "chemical evolution" aims at explaining the transition from non-living matter to living matter. There is however strong disagreement when it comes to defining this concept more precisely, and in particular with reference to a chemical form of Darwinian evolution: for some, chemical evolution is nothing but Darwinian evolution applied to chemical systems before life appeared; yet, for others, it is the type of evolution that happened before natural selection took place, the latter being the birthmark of living systems. In this contribution, I review the arguments defended by each side and show how both views presuppose a dichotomous definition of "life".

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Prebiotic, planetary and interstellar chemistry starting from compounds detected in the interstellar medium

Cited by 21 publications

References 23 publications

Cyanoacetaldehyde as a building block for prebiotic formation of pyrimidines

Cyanoacetaldehyde as a building block for prebiotic formation of pyrimidines

Selection of Prebiotic Molecules in Amphiphilic Environments

Chemical evolution and life

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