One-Pot Hydrogen Cyanide-Based Prebiotic Synthesis of Canonical Nucleobases and Glycine Initiated by High-Velocity Impacts on Early Earth

Ferus, Martin and Rimmer, Paul B. and Cassone, Giuseppe and Knížek, Antonín and Civiš, Svatopluk and Šponer, Judit E. and Ivanek, Ondřej and Šponer, Jiří and Saeidfirozeh, Homa and Kubelík, Petr and Dudžák, Roman and Petera, Lukáš and Juha, Libor and Pastorek, Adam and Křivková, Anna and Krůs, Miroslav (2020) One-Pot Hydrogen Cyanide-Based Prebiotic Synthesis of Canonical Nucleobases and Glycine Initiated by High-Velocity Impacts on Early Earth. Astrobiology. ISSN 1531-1074 DOI https://doi.org/10.1089/ast.2020.2231

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Abstract

Chemical environments of young planets are assumed to be significantly influenced by impacts of bodies lingering after the dissolution of the protoplanetary disk. We explore the chemical consequences of impacts of these bodies under reducing planetary atmospheres dominated by carbon monoxide, methane, and molecular nitrogen. Impacts were simulated by using a terawatt high-power laser system. Our experimental results show that one-pot impact-plasma-initiated synthesis of all the RNA canonical nucleobases and the simplest amino acid glycine is possible in this type of atmosphere in the presence of montmorillonite. This one-pot synthesis begins with de novo formation of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) and proceeds through intermediates such as cyanoacetylene and urea.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	2020AREP; IA76
Subjects:	05 - Petrology - Igneous, Metamorphic and Volcanic Studies
Divisions:	05 - Petrology - Igneous, Metamorphic and Volcanic Studies 99 - Other
Journal or Publication Title:	Astrobiology
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1089/ast.2020.2231
Depositing User:	Sarah Humbert
Date Deposited:	26 Nov 2020 17:22
Last Modified:	26 Nov 2020 17:22
URI:	http://eprints.esc.cam.ac.uk/id/eprint/4936

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