Thermal Synthesis of Amino Acids from a Simulated Primitive Atmosphere

Abstract

IT has been suggested that thermal energy was readily available for the prebiotic synthesis of organic compounds as evidenced by lava remnants from earlier volcanic activity and by the present widespread occurrence of regions of elevated temperatures on the Earth^1,2. In previous chemical evolution thermal experiments, the predominant amino acids reported were those commonly found in present-day protein^1,3,4. It was implied from these results that thermal energy may have played an important part in the prebiotic synthesis of protein amino acids. It would certainly be significant if thermal energy could produce only these amino acids and not the unusual amino acids of the type identified in simulated primitive atmosphere discharge experiments^5,6 and in meteorite extracts^7,8, a presumed extraterrestrial abiotic synthesis. Also, previous studies have relied on the identification of amino acids by ion exchange chromatography^1,4 (amino acid analyser) and electrophoresis³, which is not sufficient for the unequivocal identification of an amino acid, particularly when materials other than the common amino acids may be present^5,9. For these reasons we have applied the recently developed techniques of gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry (GC–MS) for identification of the compounds produced by thermal synthesis.