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Hot Stones or Cold Soup? New Investigations on the Endogenous Origin of Organic Compounds on Earth
Author(s) -
Severin Kay
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/1521-3773(20001016)39:20<3589::aid-anie3589>3.0.co;2-6
Subject(s) - earth (classical element) , abiogenesis , hydrothermal circulation , pyrite , astrobiology , magnetite , volcano , early earth , organic molecules , crust , earth science , hydrothermal vent , chemistry , geology , geochemistry , mineralogy , molecule , biology , paleontology , organic chemistry , physics , mathematical physics
The prebiotic synthesis of small organic molecules is thought to be the first important step for the origin of life. New investigations indicate that relevant compounds can also be formed in the crust or in volcanic and hydrothermal vents under extreme conditions. Minerals such as magnetite Fe 3 O 4 [Eq. (1)] or pyrite play an important role in these reactions.