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Plausible Emergence of Biochemistry in Enceladus Based on Chemobrionics
Author(s) -
Angelis Georgios,
Kordopati Golfo G.,
Zingkou Eleni,
Karioti Anastasia,
Sotiropoulou Georgia,
Pampalakis Georgios
Publication year - 2021
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.202004018
Subject(s) - enceladus , saturn , astrobiology , hydrothermal vent , abiogenesis , polymerization , condensation , hydrothermal circulation , chemistry , polymer , satellite , geology , organic chemistry , planet , physics , meteorology , paleontology , astronomy , astrophysics
Saturn's satellite Enceladus is proposed to have a soda‐type subsurface ocean with temperature able to support life and an iron ore‐based core. Here, it was demonstrated that ocean chemistry related to Enceladus can support the development of Fe‐based hydrothermal vents, one of the places suggested to be the cradle of life. The Fe‐based chemical gardens were characterized with Fourier‐transform (FT)IR spectroscopy and XRD. The developed chemobrionic structures catalyzed the condensation polymerization of simple organic prebiotic molecules to kerogens. Further, they could passively catalyze the condensation of the prebiotic molecule formamide to larger polymers, suggesting that elementary biochemical precursors could have emerged in Enceladus.