GEOC 60 |
| The processes (atmospheric synthesis, hydrothermal vent synthesis, input of extraterrestrial material) which produced the organic compounds thought to be necessary for the origin of life generally produce complex mixtures of small organic compounds and heterogeneous polymers. Regardless of the model favored for the origin of life (self-replicating nucleic acids, self-assembled vesicles, replicating polypeptides, or small molecule reaction networks), some process must have selectively concentrated certain molecules so that they would be more likely to interact with other molecules of their own type. One possibility is molecule-specific interaction with mineral surfaces. While many organic-mineral interactions are of low strength and selectivity, the possibility of geochromatography as dilute organic solutions move through the hydrologic cycle offers the possibility of magnifying the concentrating power of a mineral column. We report here experiments demonstrating the feasibility of this idea using model prebiotic compounds and a variety of minerals potentially present on primitive planetary surfaces. |
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Surface and Molecular Geochemistry and Biogeochemistry
1:30 PM-4:15 PM, Wednesday, August 22, 2007 Boston Park Plaza -- St. James Rm, Oral
Sci-Mix
Division of Geochemistry |