Abiotic organic synthesis research suggests new mechanism of organic condensation
A Chinese research team reported the discovery of abiotic organic compounds in the oceanic crust of the Southwest India Ridge and proposed a molecular mechanism for organic condensation.
This groundbreaking discovery follows the discovery in 2021 of nanoscale abiotic organic matter in mantle rocks in the Yap Trench. This represents an important advance in research into the deep sea carbon cycle and the origin of life, and sheds light on important pathways of abiotic organic synthesis in the deep sea. Nature.
The scientists published their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Nan Jingbo of the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS) is the paper’s first author. Dr. Peng Xiaotong, Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, is the corresponding author.
The origin of life is one of science’s most difficult questions. Deep-sea hydrothermal systems are considered potential sites for the emergence of life and are an important focus in the search for extraterrestrial life. These systems provided ideal material and energy conditions for prebiotic chemistry on the early Earth, facilitating the formation of small organic molecules under nonenzymatic catalysis.
On this basis, mineral-catalyzed organic polymerization reactions lay the foundation for the production of more complex organic compounds, facilitating the evolution of simple organic compounds to complex functional structures, and ultimately leading to the emergence of life forms. We are connected.
Through analysis of basalt samples collected by the Manned Vehicle (HOV) Shenhai Yongshi (TS-10 Expedition), Nan et al. reported for the first time the existence of abiotic carbonaceous materials at the micron scale in the global environment. did. Upper oceanic crust of the Southwest India Ridge.
They also found a close spatial correlation between this organic matter and products of water-rock interaction, such as goethite.
Using multimodal in situ microanalysis techniques, including electron microscopy, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry, and photoinduced force microscopy combined with nano-infrared spectroscopy, the researchers The absence of characteristic biomolecular functional groups was comprehensively confirmed. , thereby revealing its abiotic origin.
Based on this, the research team used density functional theory (DFT) calculations to propose an important role for goethite in the molecular-scale catalytic synthesis of abiotic carbonaceous materials.
In this process, hydrogen from the hydrothermal fluid participates in the catalytic cycle on the goethite surface and plays an important role in the initial activation of carbon dioxide and the growth of carbon chains (CC) during organic condensation.
This pioneering study integrates multimodal in situ microanalysis and DFT calculations to investigate natural abiotic organic synthesis and the formation mechanisms of abiotic carbonaceous materials at mid-ocean ridges, which serve as important natural laboratories. provides a deep understanding of
This study not only establishes the basis for understanding mineral-mediated natural organocatalytic reactions, but also provides an important reference for identifying abiotic organic matter in hydrothermal systems of other rocky planets.
Further information: Jingbo Nan et al., “Elucidation of abiotic organic synthesis pathways in the mafic crust of mid-ocean ridges,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (2024). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2308684121
Provided by Chinese Academy of Sciences
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