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Formic Acid, a Ubiquitous but Overlooked Component of the Early Earth Atmosphere
Author(s) -
Mohammadi Elmira,
Petera Lukáš,
Saeidfirozeh Homa,
Knížek Antonín,
Kubelík Petr,
Dudžák Roman,
Krůs Miroslav,
Juha Libor,
Civiš Svatopluk,
Coulon Rémi,
Malina Ondřej,
Ugolotti Juri,
Ranc Václav,
Otyepka Michal,
Šponer Jiří,
Ferus Martin,
Šponer Judit E.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.202000323
Subject(s) - formic acid , volcano , volcanism , hydrothermal circulation , earth science , earth (classical element) , astrobiology , atmosphere (unit) , component (thermodynamics) , volcanology , atmospheric oxygen , environmental science , geology , atmospheric sciences , chemistry , geochemistry , physics , paleontology , meteorology , oxygen , astronomy , organic chemistry , tectonics , thermodynamics
Terrestrial volcanism has been one of the dominant geological forces shaping our planet since its earliest existence. Its associated phenomena, like atmospheric lightning and hydrothermal activity, provide a rich energy reservoir for chemical syntheses. Based on our laboratory simulations, we propose that on the early Earth volcanic activity inevitably led to a remarkable production of formic acid through various independent reaction channels. Large‐scale availability of atmospheric formic acid supports the idea of the high‐temperature accumulation of formamide in this primordial environment.