Publication detail

Formamide-Based Post-impact Thermal Prebiotic Synthesis in Simulated Craters: Intermediates, Products and Mechanism

FERUS, M. KNÍŽEK, A. PETERA, L. PASTOREK, A. HRNČÍŘOVÁ, J. JANKOVIČ, L. IVANEK, O. ŠPONER, J. KŘIVKOVÁ, A. SAEIDFIROUZEH, H. CIVIŠ, S. CHATZITHEODORIDIS, E. MRÁZIKOVÁ, K. NEJDL, L. SAIJA, F. ŠPONER, J. CASSONE, G.

Original Title

Formamide-Based Post-impact Thermal Prebiotic Synthesis in Simulated Craters: Intermediates, Products and Mechanism

Type

journal article in Web of Science

Language

English

Original Abstract

Influx of matter from impacting meteoroids and hydrothermal crater weathering are important factors modifying the rock and mineral inventory of young planets undergoing heavy bombardment. These processes may have influenced not only the geochemical environment of, e.g., early Mars and other planets, but also the peculiar prebiotic chemistry on early Earth. Here, we present a synergistic experimental and computational investigation of the intermediates of chemical reactions of the formamide-based synthesis of canonical and non-canonical nucleobases by thermochemistry in hot hydrothermal crater environments. We put our findings into context with previously investigated plasma-initiated synthesis occuring directly during impact. Both processes result into the formation of all canonical nucleobases, hypoxanthine, purine, and into the onset of the simplest amino acid glycine. Furthermore, it turns out that radical species such as CN and H play a key role in the plasma-assisted impact chemistry. However, post-impact thermochemistry is essential for the origin of formamidine and 2-aminoacetonitrile, intermediate species detected in this study by means of FTIR spectroscopy.

Keywords

prebiotic chemistry; origin of life; formamide; FTIR spectroscopy; quantum-mechanical calculations; ab initio molecular dynamics; metadynamics

Authors

FERUS, M.; KNÍŽEK, A.; PETERA, L.; PASTOREK, A.; HRNČÍŘOVÁ, J.; JANKOVIČ, L.; IVANEK, O.; ŠPONER, J.; KŘIVKOVÁ, A.; SAEIDFIROUZEH, H.; CIVIŠ, S.; CHATZITHEODORIDIS, E.; MRÁZIKOVÁ, K.; NEJDL, L.; SAIJA, F.; ŠPONER, J.; CASSONE, G.

Released

13. 5. 2022

Publisher

Frontiers

ISBN

2296-987X

Periodical

Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences

Year of study

9

Number

1

State

Swiss Confederation

Pages from

1

Pages to

11

Pages count

11

URL

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2022.882145/full

Full text in the Digital Library

http://hdl.handle.net/11012/208209

BibTex

@article{BUT178655,
  author="Martin {Ferus} and Antonín {Knížek} and Lukáš {Petera} and Adam {Pastorek} and Jana {Hrnčířová} and Luboš {Jankovič} and Ondřej {Ivanek} and Jiří {Šponer} and Anna {Křivková} and Homa {Saeidfirouzeh} and Svatopluk {Civiš} and Elias {Chatzitheodoridis} and Klaudia {Mráziková} and Lukáš {Nejdl} and Franz {Saija} and Judit {Šponer} and Giuseppe {Cassone}",
  title="Formamide-Based Post-impact Thermal Prebiotic Synthesis in Simulated Craters: Intermediates, Products and Mechanism",
  journal="Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences",
  year="2022",
  volume="9",
  number="1",
  pages="1--11",
  doi="10.3389/fspas.2022.882145",
  issn="2296-987X",
  url="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2022.882145/full"
}