Primordial synthesis of amines and amino acids in a 1958 Miller H2S-rich spark discharge experiment
Primordial synthesis of amines and amino acids in a 1958 Miller H2S-rich spark discharge experiment
复制标题
DOI：
10.1073/pnas.1019191108
复制
发表时间：
2011-04-05
影响因子：
11.1
通讯作者：
Bada, Jeffrey L.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Parker, Eric T.;Cleaves, Henderson J.;Bada, Jeffrey L.
最近发现了以前未报道的1958年斯坦利米勒放电实验中含有硫化氢（H2S）的存档样品，并使用高效液相色谱和飞行时间质谱进行了分析。我们在这里报告的检测和定量的含伯胺化合物的原始样品残留物，这是通过火花放电产生的气体混合物的H2S，CH4，NH3，和CO2。在这些样品中共检测到23种氨基酸和4种胺，其中包括7种有机硫化合物。具有手性中心的主要氨基酸在测量准确度范围内是外消旋的，表明它们不是样品储存期间引入的污染物。该实验标志着首次从火花放电实验中合成含硫氨基酸，该实验旨在模拟原始环境。一些氨基酸的相对产率，特别是氨基丁酸的异构体，是火花放电实验中发现的最高的。米勒使用的模拟原始条件可以作为早期火山羽化学的模型，并提供洞察力的可能作用，这些羽可能在非生物有机合成。此外，在H2S存在下合成的氨基酸的总体丰度与一些碳质陨石中发现的丰度非常相似，这表明H2S可能在早期太阳系环境中的前生物反应中发挥了重要作用。
Archived samples from a previously unreported 1958 Stanley Miller electric discharge experiment containing hydrogen sulfide (H2S) were recently discovered and analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography and time-of-flight mass spectrometry. We report here the detection and quantification of primary amine-containing compounds in the original sample residues, which were produced via spark discharge using a gaseous mixture of H2S, CH4, NH3, and CO2. A total of 23 amino acids and 4 amines, including 7 organosulfur compounds, were detected in these samples. The major amino acids with chiral centers are racemic within the accuracy of the measurements, indicating that they are not contaminants introduced during sample storage. This experiment marks the first synthesis of sulfur amino acids from spark discharge experiments designed to imitate primordial environments. The relative yield of some amino acids, in particular the isomers of aminobutyric acid, are the highest ever found in a spark discharge experiment. The simulated primordial conditions used by Miller may serve as a model for early volcanic plume chemistry and provide insight to the possible roles such plumes may have played in abiotic organic synthesis. Additionally, the overall abundances of the synthesized amino acids in the presence of H2S are very similar to the abundances found in some carbonaceous meteorites, suggesting that H2S may have played an important role in prebiotic reactions in early solar system environments.