Prebiotic Formation of Amino Acids in a Neutral Atmosphere by Electric Discharge

摘要

Amino acid formation in a prebiotic scenario is the first precondition on the way to formation of peptides, proteins, and the first living organisms. Amino acids could have been formed by many processes but until now this step could only be achieved under the assumption of a reducing prebiotic atmosphere with various kinds of energy inputs, and not under the conditions of a neutral, mildly reducing, or slightly oxidizing atmosphere as proposed for the primitive earth by geochemists today. On the way to the origin of life several groups of biomolecules, such as proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and saccharides had to be formed on the primordial earth so that they could later form aggregates and finally living organisms.