Abstract
The heterotrophic hypothesis of the origin of life is now generally accepted. This involves the synthesis of simple organic compounds on the primitive Earth, the polymerization of these compounds, and the organization of the polymers into the first self-replicating organism. The need to synthesize simple organic compounds places constraints on conditions that prevailed on the primitive Earth. The temperature must have been low, O2 was absent, and the atmosphere was reducing. The most effective atmosphere for the synthesis of organic compounds is CH4, N2 or NH3, H2O. Experiments with less reduced atmospheres such as CO, N2 or NH3, H2O, H2 and CO2, N2 or NH3, H2O, H2 do give organic compounds but the yields are generally smaller and fewer compounds are obtained. CO and CO2 atmospheres without H2 give no organic compounds at all or very small yields. Prebiotic syntheses of amino acids, purines, pyrimidines, and sugars are now known. Organic compounds in carbonaceous chondrites are strikingly similar to those produced in laboratory syntheses with electric discharges.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Abelson, P.H. 1965. Abiogenic synthesis in the Martian environment. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 54: 1490–1494.
Bar-Nun, A.; Bar-Nun, N.; Bauer, S.H.; and Sagan, C. 1970. Shock synthesis of amino acids in simulated primitive environments. Science 168: 470–473.
Bar-Nun, A., and Hartman, H. 1978. Synthesis of organic compounds from carbon monoxide and water by UV photolysis. Origins of Life 9: 93–101.
Bernal, J.D. 1951. The Physical Basis of Life. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
Cronin, J.R., and Moore, C.B. 1971. Amino acid analyses of the Murchison, Murray, and Allende carbonaceous chondrites. Science 172: 1327–1329.
Ferris, J.P.; Sanchez, R.A.; and Orgel, L.E. 1968. Synthesis of pyrimidines from cyanoacetylene and cyanate. J. Mol. Biol. 33: 693–704.
Friedmann, N., and Miller, S.L. 1969. Phenylalanine and tyrosine synthesis under primitive earth conditions. Science 166: 766–767.
Gabel, N.W., and Ponnamperuma, C. 1967. Model for the origin of monosaccharides. Nature 216: 453–455.
Getoff, N. 1962. Reduktion der Kohlensäure in wässeriger Lösung unter Einwirkung von UV-licht. Z. Naturforsch. 17b: 87–90, 751–757.
Garrison, W.M.; Morrison, D.C.; Hamilton, J.G.; Benson, A.A.; and Calvin, M. 19 51. Reduction of carbon dioxide in aqueous solutions by ionizing radiation. Science 114: 416–418.
Groth, W., and Weyssenhoff, H. 1960. Photochemical formation of organic compounds from mixtures of simple gases. Planet. Space Sci. 2: 79–85.
Haidane, J.B.S. 1929. Rationalist Annual 148: 3; reprinted In Science and Human Life. New York and London: Harper Bros., 1933, p. 149.
Hayatsu, R., et al. 1972. Catalytic synthesis of nitriles, nitrogen bases and porphyrin-like pigments. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 36: 555–571.
Horowitz, N.H. 1945. On the evolution of biochemical synthesis. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 31: 153–157.
Kenyon, D.H., and Steinmann, G. 1969. Biochemical Predestination. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Kvenvolden, K.; Lawless, J.G.; Pering, K.; Peterson, E.; Flores, J.; Ponnamperuma, C.; Kaplan, I.R.; and Moore, C. 1970. Evidence for extraterrestrial amino-acids and hydrocarbons in the Murchison Meteorite. Nature 228: 923–926.
Kvenvolden, K.A.; Lawless, J.G.; and Ponnamperuma, C. 1971. Nonprotein amino acids in the Murchison Meteorite. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 68: 486–490.
Lawless, J.G.; Zeitman, B.; Pereira, W.E.; Summons, R.E.; Duffield, A.M. 1974. Dicarboxylic acids in the Murchison Meteorite. Nature 251: 40–42.
Lemmon, R.M. 1970. Chemical evolution. Chem. Rev. 70: 95–109.
Lohrmann, R.; Bridson, P.K.; and Orgel, L.E. 1980. Efficient metal-ion catalyzed template-directed oligonucleotide synthesis. Science 208: 1464–1465.
Lohrmann, R., and Orgel, L.E. 1973. Prebiotic activation processes. Nature 224: 418–420.
Miller, S.L. 1953. A production of amino acids under possible primitive earth conditions. Science 117: 528–529.
Miller, S.L. 1957. The formation of organic compounds on the primitive earth. Ann. NY Acad. Sci. 69: 260–274; reprinted In The Origin of Life on the Earth, ed. A. Oparin. Oxford: Pergamon Press, 1959, pp. 123–135.
Miller, S.L., and Orgel, L.E. 1974. The Origins of Life on the Earth. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Miller, S.L.; Urey H.C.; and Oró, J. 1976. Origin of organic compounds on the primitive earth and in meteorites. J. Mol. Evol. 9: 59–72.
Oparin, A.I. 1938. The Origin of Life. New York: Macmillan.
Oró, J. 1960. Synthesis of adenine from ammonium cyanide. Biochim. Biophys. Res. Comm. 2: 407–412.
Oró, J., and Kimball, A.P. 1961. Synthesis of purines under possible primitive earth conditions. I. Adenine from hydrogen cyanide. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 94: 221–227.
Oró, and Kimball, A.P. 1962. Synthesis of purines under possible primitive earth conditions. II. Purine intermediates from hydrogen cyanide. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 96: 293–313.
Reid, C., and Orgel, L.E. 1967. Synthesis of sugars in potentially prebiotic conditions. Nature 216: 455.
Ring, D.; Wolman, Y.; Friedmann, N.; and Miller, S.L. 1972. Prebiotic synthesis of hydrophobic and protein amino acids. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 69: 765–768.
Sagan, C., and Khare, B.N. 1971. Long-wavelength ultra-violet photoproduction of amino acids in the primitive earth. Science 173: 417-420; also in Nature 232: 577–578.
Sanchez, R.A.; Ferris, J.P.; and Orgel, L.E. 1966. Cyano- acetylene in prebiotic synthesis. Science 154: 784–785.
Sanchez, R.A.; Ferris, J.P.; and Orgel, L.E. 1967. Synthesis of purine precursors and amino acids from aqueous hydrogen cyanide. J. Mol. Biol. 30: 223–253.
Sanchez, R.A.; Ferris, J.P.; and Orgel, L.E. 1963. Conversion of 4-aminoimidazole-5-carbonitrile derivatives to purines. J. Mol. Biol. 38: 121–128.
Schwartz, A.W., and Chittenden, G.J.F. 1977. Synthesis of uracil and thymine under simulated prebiotic conditions. Biosystems. 9: 87–92.
Urey, H.C. 1952. On the early chemical history of the earth and the origin of life. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 38: 363; also In The Planets. New Haven: Yale University Press, pp. 149–157.
Van Trump, J.E., and Miller, S.L. 1972. Prebiotic synthesis of methionine. Science 178: 859–860.
Van Trump, J.E., and Miller, S.L. 1980. The Strecker synthesis in the primitive ocean. In Proceedings of the 3rd ISSOL Meeting, ed. Y. Wolman, Jerusalem.
Wolman, Y.; Haverland, W.H.; and Miller, S.L. 1972. Non-protein amino acids from spark discharges and their comparison with the Murchison meteorite amino acids. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 69: 809–811.
Yoshino, D.; Hayatsu, R.; and Anders, E. 1971. Amino acids: catalytic synthesis. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 35: 927–938.
Zeitman, B.; Chang, S.; and Lawless, J.G. 1974. Dicar- boxylic acids from electric discharge. Nature 251: 42–43.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1982 Dr. S. Bernhard, Dahlem Konferenzen, Berlin
About this paper
Cite this paper
Miller, S.L. (1982). Prebiotic Synthesis of Organic Compounds. In: Holland, H.D., Schidlowski, M. (eds) Mineral Deposits and the Evolution of the Biosphere. Dahlem Workshop Report, vol 3. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-68463-0_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-68463-0_9
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-68465-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-68463-0
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive