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Hydrothermal biochemistry: from formaldehyde to oligopeptides

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Abstract

Hydrothermal reactions of formaldehyde (CH2O), which is mainly formed by CO2, are considered to be of most importance in the abiotic synthesis of complex organic molecules in chemical evolution on the primitive Earth. We show the hydrothermal formation of amino acids and oligopeptides in neutral or weak acidic solutions from CH2O in the presence of metals and metal oxides. In these hydrothermal processes, metal or metal oxides selectively catalyzed a series of hydrothermal reactions from CH2O to amino acids, whereas the further reactions for the formation of oligopeptides proceeded without any catalyst. Our experimental observation may provide a possible clue to understanding the initial chemical evolution in Earth’s primitive atmosphere of the origin of life.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the National Natural Science Foundation of China for support through the Research Fund for Creative Research Team.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Inorganic Synthesis and Preparative Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, P.R. China

    Shouhua Feng, Ge Tian, Chao He, Hongming Yuan, Ying Mu, Yingwu Wang & Ling Wang

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  1. Shouhua Feng
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  2. Ge Tian
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  3. Chao He
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  4. Hongming Yuan
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  5. Ying Mu
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  6. Yingwu Wang
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  7. Ling Wang
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shouhua Feng.

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Feng, S., Tian, G., He, C. et al. Hydrothermal biochemistry: from formaldehyde to oligopeptides. J Mater Sci 43, 2418–2425 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-007-2009-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-007-2009-8

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