The role of sulphur in chemical evolution

Journal of Molecular Evolution - Tập 9 - Trang 329-338 - 1977
F. Raulin1, G. Toupance1
1Laboratoire d'Energétique Biochimique, Université Paris Val de Marne, Créteil, France

Tóm tắt

Sulphur may have played an important role, mainly as an energy converter, during the initial steps of Chemical Evolution. In atmospheric processes, sulphur, in the form of H2S might have been a primary energy acceptor and a source of hot hydrogen atoms. The presence of H2S in the primeval earth atmosphere with a molar ratio of about 10−2 could have allowed the formation of several volatile S-containing compounds without inhibiting the synthesis of the reactive products which are formed in the absence of H2S. An evaluation of the quantity of H2S which could have been included in the primeval atmosphere suggests that such a molar ratio may have been reached. In the primitive soup, the thiols and sulphides formed in the gaseous phase may have evolved, giving rise to various prebiotic syntheses. Studies on the addition reaction of alkanethiols on malonic nitriles in aqueous solutions show two different condensation processes: the formation of thioethers and the formation of iminothioesters. Taking into account the values of the specific rate constants for the two reactions, it is shown that these reactions may have taken place in the primitive earth conditions. These two compounds may have played an important role in the prebiochemical evolution. In particular, iminothioesters can be considered as the immediate precursors of thioesters.

Tài liệu tham khảo

Bada, J.L., Miller, S.L. (1968). Science159, 423 Becker, R.S., Hong, K.Y. Hong, T.H. (1974). J. Mol. Evol.4, 157 Bloch, S. (1974). Thèse de Doctorat de 3e Cycle, Universite Paris VI Bloch, S., Toupance G. (1975). J. Chim. Phys.72, 1157 Buvet, R. (1974). In: l'Origine des Etres Vivants et des Processus Biologiques, p. 123. Paris: Masson Choughuley, A.S., Lemmon, R.M. (1966). Nature210, 628 Ellenbogen, E. (1958). Abstr. Amer. Chem. Soc. Meeting Chicago, p. 47 C Ferris, J.P., Sanchez, R.A., Orgel, L. E. (1968). J. Mol. Biol.33, 693 Ferris, J.P., Goldstein, G., Beaulieu, D.J. (1970). J. Amer. Chem. Soc.92, 6598 Ferris, J.P., Zamek, O.S., Albuch, A.M., Freiman, H. (1974). J. Mol. Evol.3, 301 Friedmann, N., Miller, S.L. (1969). Science166, 766 Grignard, V. (1950). In: Traitè de Chimie Organique, 2 d ed. Tome 13, p. 644. Paris: Masson Hartigan, R.H., Cloke, J.B. (1945). J. Amer. Chem. Soc.47, 709 (and included ref.) Herbst, E., Klemperer, W. (1976). Physics To-day, p.32, June Heyns, K., Walter, W., Meyer, E. (1957). Naturwissenschaften44, 447 Holland, H.D. (1962). In: Petrologic Studies: a Volume to Honor A.F. Buddington, Geological Soc. Amer., p. 447. New York Holland, H.D. (1974). Origins of Life5, 87 Hong, K., Hong, J.H., Becker, R.S. (1974). Science184, 984 Jocelyn, P.C. (1972). In: Biochemistry of the SH Group, p. 167. London: Academic press. Johnson, T.B., Burnham, G. (1912). Amer. Chem. J.47, 232 Khare, B.N., Sagan, C. (1971). Nature232, 577 Kvenvolden, K. (1974). Origins of Life5, 71 Lewis, J. (1969). Icarus10, 365 Lienhard, G.E., Jencks, W.P. (1965). J. Amer. Chem. Soc.87, 3863 Lu, H.K., Chou, T.K., Wang, C.W., Yang, C.K., Ku, T.J., Li, W.L. (1959). K'O Hsuéh Chi Lu 3, 150; Science Record, New Ser. III (5), 192 Marshall, V., Bennett, A. (1970). Proc. Indiana Acad. Sci.80, 369 Miller, S.L. (1974). Origins of Life5, 139 Molton, P.M., Ponnamperuma, C. (1974). Icarus21, 166 Ponnamperuma, C., Molton, P.M. (1973). Space Life Sciences4, 32 Raulin, F., Toupance, G., (1975a). Origins of Life6, 91 Raulin, F., Toupance, G. (1975b). Origins of Life6, 507 Raulin, F., Toupance, G. (1975c). Bull. Soc. Chim., p. 188 Raulin, F., Toupance, G. (1976a). Bull. Soc. Chim., p. 29 Raulin, F., Toupance, G. (1976b). Bull. Soc. Chim., p. 667 Rubey, W.W. (1951). Bull. Geol. Soc. Am.62, 1111 Sagan, C., Khare, B.N. (1971a). Science173, 417 Sagan, C., Khare, B.N. (1971b). Astrophys. J.168, 563 Samochocka, K., Getoff, N. (1972). Int. J. Appl. Radiat. Isotop.23, 65 Samochocka, K., Taube, M. (1968). Nukleonika13, 313 Steinman, G., Smith, A.E., Silver, J.J. (1968). Science159, 1108 Takeshima, T., Yokoyama, M., Fukada, N., Akano, M. (1970). J. Org. Chem.35, 2438 Toupance, G. Raulin, F., Buvet, R. (1975). Origins of Life6, 83 Van Trump, J.E., Miller, S.L. (1972). Science178, 859 Vinogradov, A.P. (1959). In: The Origin of Life on the Earth, Clark, F., Synge, R.L.M. (eds.), p. 23. Oxford: Pergamon press Wald, G. (1962). In: Horizons in Biochemistry, Kasha, M., Pullman, B. (eds), p. 127, New York: Academic press