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One‐Pot TiO 2 ‐Catalyzed Synthesis of Nucleic Bases and Acyclonucleosides from Formamide: Implications for the Origin of Life
Author(s) -
Saladino Raffaele,
Ciambecchini Umberto,
Crestini Claudia,
Costanzo Giovanna,
Negri Rodolfo,
Di Mauro Ernesto
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
chembiochem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.05
H-Index - 126
eISSN - 1439-7633
pISSN - 1439-4227
DOI - 10.1002/cbic.200300567
Subject(s) - formamide , nucleobase , catalysis , nucleic acid , thymine , combinatorial chemistry , chemistry , purine , polynucleotide , dna , organic chemistry , biochemistry , enzyme
A novel one‐pot TiO 2 ‐catalyzed synthesis of nucleobases and acyclonucleosides from formamide is reported. Since formamide can be formed under prebiotic conditions, these reactions have implications for the origin of life. While a number of purine derivatives have been found as products of non‐TiO 2 ‐catalyzed reactions, important compounds that would not otherwise occur (namely, thymine, 5hydroxymethyluracil, and acyclonucleosides) are formed in acceptable yields by TiO 2 ‐catalyzed reactions. Moreover, TiO 2 selectively affects the rates of degradation of nucleobases, as single units and when embedded in polynucleotides.