Abstract
The atmosphere of the Earth at the time of its formation is now generally believed to have been reducing, an idea proposed by Oparin and extensively discussed by Urey. This atmosphere would have contained CH4, N2 with traces of NH3, water and hydrogen. Only traces of NH3 would have been present because of its solubility in water. UV light and electric discharges were the major sources of energy for amino acid synthesis, with electric discharges being the most efficient, although most other sources of energy also give amino acids.
The first prebiotic electric discharge synthesis of amino acids showed that surprisingly high yields of amino acids were synthesized. Eleven amino acids were identified, four of which occur in proteins. Hydroxy acids, simple aliphatic acids and urea were also identified. These experiments have been repeated recently, and 33 amino acids were identified, ten of which occur in proteins, including all of the hydrophobic amino acids.
Methionine can be synthesized by electric discharges if H2S or CH3SH is added to the reduced gases. The prebiotic synthesis of phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan involves pyrolysis reactions combined with plausible solution reactions.
Eighteen amino acids have been identified in the Murchison meteorite, a type II carbonaceous chondrite, of which six occur in proteins. All of the amino acids found in the Murchison meteorite have been found among the electric discharge products. Furthermore, the ratios of amino acids in the meteorite show a close correspondence to the ratios from the electric discharge synthesis, indicating that the amino acids on the parent body of the carbonaceous chondrites were synthesized by electric discharges or by an analogous process.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Alarcon, R. A.: 1968, Ann. Chem. 40, 1704.
Bada, J. L. and Miller, S. L.: 1968, Science 159, 423.
Bar-Nun, A., Bar-Nun, N., Bauer, S. H., and Sagan, C.: 1970, Science 168, 470.
Cohen, I. R. and Altshuller, A. P.: 1961, Ann. Chem. 33, 726.
Cronin, J. R. and Moore, C. B.: 1971, Science 172, 1327.
Czuchajowski, L. and Zawadzki, W.: 1968, Rocz. Chem. 42, 697.
Dowler, M. J., Fuller, W. D., Orgel, L. E., and Sanchez, R. A.: 1970, Science 169, 1320
Dus, K., Lindroth, S., Pabst, R., and Smith, R. A.: 1967, Ann. Biochem. 18, 532.
Grossenbacher, K. A. and Knight, C. A.: 1965, in S. W. Fox (ed.), The Origins of Prebiological Systems, Academic Press, New York, pp. 173–183.
Friedmann, N., Haverland, W. J., and Miller, S. L.: 1971, in R. Buvet and C. Ponnamperuma (eds.), Chemical Evolution and the Origin of Life, North Holland Publ. Co., Amsterdam, pp. 123–135.
Friedmann, N. and Miller, S. L.: 1969, Science, 166, 766.
Harada, K. and Fox, S. W.: 1964, Nature 201, 335.
Khare, B. N. and Sagan, C.: 1971, Nature 232, 577.
Kvenvolden, K., Lawless, J., Pering, K., Peterson, E., Flores, J., Ponnamperuma, C., Kaplan, I. R., and Moore, C.: 1970, Nature 228, 923.
Kvenvolden, K. A., Lawless, J. G., and Ponnamperuma, C.: 1971, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 68, 486.
Lemmon, R. H.: 1970, Chem. Rev. 70, 95.
Matthews, C. N. and Moser, R. E.: 1966, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 56, 1087.
Miller, S. L.: 1953, Science 117, 528.
Miller, S. L.: 1955, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 77, 2351.
Miller, S. L.: 1957a, Biochim. Biophys. Acta 23, 480.
Miller, S. L.: 1957b, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 69, 260.
Miller, S. L. and Urey, H. C.: 1959, Science 130, 245.
Nicholson, I.: 1970, J. Macromol. Sci. Chem. A4, 1619.
Oparin, A. I.: 1938, The Origin of Life, Macmillan, New York.
Orb, J.: 1963, Nature 197, 862.
Orb, J.: 1968, J. Brit. Interplanetary Soc. 21, 12.
Orb, J., Gilbert, J., Lichtenstein, H., Wickstrom, S., and Flory, D. A.: 1971, Nature 230, 105.
Pollock, G. E. and Oyama, V. I.: 1966, J. Gas Chromatogr. 4, 126.
Ponnamperuma, C., Woeller, F., Flores, J., Romiez, M., and Allen, W.: 1969, in R. F. Gould (ed.), Chemical Reactions in Electric Discharges (Advances in Chemistry, series no. 80, A.C.S., Washington ), pp. 280–288.
Ring, D., Wolman, Y., Friedmann, N., and Miller, S. L.: 1972, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 69, 765.
Sagan, C. and Khare, B. N.: 1971, Science 173, 417.
Sanchez, R. A., Ferris, J. P., and Orgel, L. E.: 1966, Science 154, 784.
Sillén, L. G.: 1967, Science 156, 1189.
Taube, M., Zdrojewski, S. Z., Samochocka, K., and Jezierska, K.: 1967, Angew. Chem. 79, 239.
Urey, H. C.: 1952, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 38, 351.
Van Trump, J. E. and Miller, S. L.: 1972, Science 178, 859.
Wall, J. S.: 1953, Ann. Chem. 25, 950.
Whitfield, R. E.: 1963, Science 142, 577.
Wolman, Y.. Haverland, W. J., and Miller, S. L.: 1972, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 69, 809.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1974 D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht, Holland
About this paper
Cite this paper
Miller, S.L. (1974). The Atmosphere of the Primitive Earth and the Prebiotic Synthesis of Amino Acids. In: Oró, J., Miller, S.L., Ponnamperuma, C., Young, R.S. (eds) Cosmochemical Evolution and the Origins of Life. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-2239-2_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-2239-2_11
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-2241-5
Online ISBN: 978-94-010-2239-2
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive