Summary
Aqueous solutions of 0.1 M amino acid and 0.1 M trimetaphosphate maintained at chosen pH values between 8.0 and 10.5 and at room temperature in the presence of imidazole or 1,2,4-triazole give rise after a few days to the corresponding peptides. Yields are highest when the pH is adjusted with concentrated NaOH or KOH instead of ammonia; in some cases glycine is quantitatively transformed within 10–15 days into peptides, mainly diand tripeptides.
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Rabinowitz, J., Hampaï, A. Quantitative polyphosphate-induced “prebiotic” peptide formation in H2O by addition of certain azoles and ions. J Mol Evol 21, 199–201 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02100094
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02100094