We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
A Prebiotic Chemistry Experiment on the Adsorption of Nucleic Acids Bases onto a Natural Zeolite.
- Authors
Anizelli, Pedro; Baú, João; Gomes, Frederico; Costa, Antonio; Carneiro, Cristine; Zaia, Cássia; Zaia, Dimas
- Abstract
There are currently few mechanisms that can explain how nucleic acid bases were synthesized, concentrated from dilute solutions, and/or protected against degradation by UV radiation or hydrolysis on the prebiotic Earth. A natural zeolite exhibited the potential to adsorb adenine, cytosine, thymine, and uracil over a range of pH, with greater adsorption of adenine and cytosine at acidic pH. Adsorption of all nucleic acid bases was decreased in artificial seawater compared to water, likely due to cation complexation. Furthermore, adsorption of adenine appeared to protect natural zeolite from thermal degradation. The C=O groups from thymine, cytosine and uracil appeared to assist the dissolution of the mineral while the NH group from adenine had no effect. As shown by FT-IR spectroscopy, adenine interacted with a natural zeolite through the NH group, and cytosine through the C=O group. A pseudo-second-order model best described the kinetics of adenine adsorption, which occurred faster in artificial seawaters.
- Subjects
NUCLEIC acids; ZEOLITES; ADSORPTION (Biology); CYTOSINE; THYMINE; URACIL; ADENINE; FUNCTIONAL groups
- Publication
Origins of Life & Evolution of the Biosphere, 2015, Vol 45, Issue 3, p289
- ISSN
0169-6149
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s11084-015-9401-1