Abstract
Recent laboratory studies have shown that the polymerization of monomeric bases to form oligomeric nucleotide sequences, requires the presence of a solid catalyst such as the mineral montmorillonite. The formation in nature, at least of prebiotic precursor materials, may therefore also have required the presence of active mineral surfaces. The nature of reactions between organic precursors and mineral substrates is thus of considerable interest in studies of the origin of life. This paper reviews results obtained for the process of H2O chemisorption on MgO and Mg2SiO4 surfaces from in situ synchrotron X-ray reflectivity studies, 1H-29Si cross polarisation NMR spectra and ab initio calculations. The results show that the exact nature of molecular attachment and reactions on oxide and silicate surfaces can now be characterized with precision. Understanding the details of heterogeneous catalysis on mineral surfaces is a key step in understanding the processes that led to the origin of life.
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Fraser, D.G. (2004). Adsorption and Self-Organization of Small Molecules on Inorganic Surfaces. In: Seckbach, J., Chela-Flores, J., Owen, T., Raulin, F. (eds) Life in the Universe. Cellular Origin and Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology, vol 7. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1003-0_30
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1003-0_30
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