Darwin's Warm Little Pond: A One‐Pot Reaction for Prebiotic Phosphorylation and the Mobilization of Phosphate from Minerals in a Urea‐Based Solvent. Issue 42 (6th October 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Burcar, Bradley; Pasek, Matthew; Gull, Maheen; Cafferty, Brian J.; Velasco, Francisco; Hud, Nicholas V.; Menor‐Salván, César
• Is Part Of: Angewandte Chemie international edition. Volume 55:Issue 42(2016)
• Page Start: 13249
• Page End: 13253
• Publication Date: 2016-10-06
• Subjects: apatites -- origins of life -- phosphate geochemistry -- prebiotic chemistry -- RNA world; Chemistry -- Periodicals; 540
• DOI: 10.1002/anie.201606239
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1433-7851

Abstract

Abstract: The poor reactivity of insoluble phosphates, such as apatite‐group minerals, has been a long‐appreciated obstacle for proposed models of prebiotic organophosphate formation. This obstacle presents a significant challenge to the nascent development of an RNA world and other models for the origins of life on Earth. Herein, we demonstrate that a scenario based on the formation of a urea/ammonium formate/water (UAFW) eutectic solution leads to an increase in phosphorylation when compared to urea alone for phosphate sources of varying solubility. In addition, under evaporative conditions and in the presence of MgSO4, the UAFW eutectic mobilizes the phosphate sequestered in water‐insoluble hydroxyapatite, giving rise to a marked increase in phosphorylation. These results suggest that the prebiotic concentrations of urea in a geologically plausible evaporitic environment could solve the problem of organic phosphorylation on a prebiotic Earth. Abstract : Phosphate in the prebiotic pond : Hydroxyapatite is shown to undergo alternation, producing an evaporitic paragenesis of more soluble minerals in a urea/ammonium formate/water eutectic containing magnesium sulfate. This solvent is excellent for nucleoside phosphorylation from solubilized phosphate, and would have been regularly generated as urea‐rich aqueous pools evaporated on the early Earth.