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Cover Picture: Synthesis and Degradation of Nucleobases and Nucleic Acids by Formamide in the Presence of Montmorillonites (ChemBioChem 11/2004)
Author(s) -
Saladino Raffaele,
Crestini Claudia,
Ciambecchini Umberto,
Ciciriello Fabiana,
Costanzo Giovanna,
Di Mauro Ernesto
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
chembiochem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.05
H-Index - 126
eISSN - 1439-7633
pISSN - 1439-4227
DOI - 10.1002/cbic.200490041
Subject(s) - chemistry , formamide , nucleic acid , nucleobase , uracil , hypoxanthine , cytosine , oligonucleotide , rnase p , reactivity (psychology) , stereochemistry , organic chemistry , dna , enzyme , biochemistry , rna , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology , gene
The cover picture shows the synthesis of several components of nucleic acids in prebiotic conditions. Purine, N 9 ‐formylpurine, adenine, cytosine, uracil, hypoxanthine and several intermediates of the inosine pathway are obtained in “one‐pot” synthesis by heating a one‐carbon‐atom fragment, as simple as formamide, in the presence of Montmorillonite clays. The reactivity of the oligonucleotide backbone with formamide is also affected by Montmorillonites due to a modification of the rate of abstraction of the protons on the sugar moieties. Montmorillonites—so far considered as primitive enzymes mostly because of their catalytic function on the aldol condensation of formaldehyde into sugars—were in the position to play a protagonist role in origin‐of‐life scenarios. More details on this study by E. Di Mauro et al. can be found on p. 1558 ff