Origins of life

, Volume 6, Issue 1–2, pp 9–13 | Cite as

Remarks on the chemical conditions on the surface of the primitive Earth and the probability of the evolution of life

  • Hans E. Suess
Part I/Organic Cosmochemistry

Abstract

The inner planets were formed from smaller objects that had no gases associated with them. These objects contained relatively small amounts of water and carbon in a form similar to that found in carbonaceous chondrites. The first forms of life must have originated during the time when the water reacted with the carbon (and also with nitrides, phosphides, etc.), while the hydrogen formed by this reaction was continuously lost from the gravitational field of the Earth. About 1044 atoms of carbon reacted with water during less than 1017 s. The crucial question is whether some form of life will always develop under these conditions, or whether the origin of life is an improbable, perhaps an immensely improbable event. At present it is still impossible to answer this question.

Keywords

Hydrogen Organic Chemistry Geochemistry Nitrides Chemical Condition 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© D. Reidel Publishing Company 1975

Authors and Affiliations

  • Hans E. Suess
    • 1
  1. 1.Physikalisches Institut der UniversitätBernSwitzerland

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