Abstract
Formation of peptide bonds was attempted bythermal activation of dry amino acids from aqueous solutionthat simulated prebiotic evaporative environments. Theevaporation trend of amino acids solutions shows abifurcation and can lead to either a crystalline phase(near equilibrium) or a metastable non-crystalline phase(far from equilibrium). Only amino acids in this metastablephase are able to form peptide bonds by thermal activationat temperatures that are generated by solar radiationtoday. We suggest that this metastable phase is the idealinitial material to trigger amino acid assemblage withprotein-like structure because provide the driving force(supersaturation) for an intense interaction betweenmonomers of different amino acids and allows activation ofthese monomers in plausible prebiotic conditions.
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Viedma, C. Formation of Peptide Bonds from Metastable versus Crystalline Phase: Implications for the Origin of Life. Orig Life Evol Biosph 30, 549–556 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026595809081
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026595809081