Amino acid synthesis in a supercritical carbon dioxide - water system

Int J Mol Sci. 2009 Jun 15;10(6):2722-2732. doi: 10.3390/ijms10062722.

Abstract

Mars is a CO(2)-abundant planet, whereas early Earth is thought to be also CO(2)-abundant. In addition, water was also discovered on Mars in 2008. From the facts and theory, we assumed that soda fountains were present on both planets, and this affected amino acid synthesis. Here, using a supercritical CO(2)/liquid H(2)O (10:1) system which mimicked crust soda fountains, we demonstrate production of amino acids from hydroxylamine (nitrogen source) and keto acids (oxylic acid sources). In this research, several amino acids were detected with an amino acid analyzer. Moreover, alanine polymers were detected with LC-MS. Our research lights up a new pathway in the study of life's origin.

Keywords: Mars; amino acid; prebiotic chemistry; soda fountain; supercritical carbon oxide.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acids / chemical synthesis*
  • Amino Acids / chemistry
  • Carbon Dioxide / chemistry*
  • Hydroxylamine / chemistry
  • Keto Acids / chemistry
  • Peptides / chemistry
  • Temperature
  • Water / chemistry*

Substances

  • Amino Acids
  • Keto Acids
  • Peptides
  • Water
  • Carbon Dioxide
  • polyalanine
  • Hydroxylamine