Atmosphere prebiotic synthesis

Miller SL. The atmosphere of the primitive earth and the prebiotic synthesis of amino acids. Orig Life 1974 3 139. 

Miyakawa, S., Yamanashi, H., Kobayashi, K., Cleaves, H.J., Miller S.L. (2002). Prebiotic synthesis from CO atmosphere implications for the origin of life. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 99 14628-31. 

Clark PD, Dowling NI, Huang M. (1998) Comments on the role of H2S in the chemistry of Earth s early atmosphere and in prebiotic synthesis. J Mol Evol 47 127-132. 

Schlesinger, G. Miller, S. Prebiotic synthesis in atmospheres containing CH4, CO and CO2. II. Hydrogen Cyanide, Formaldehyde and Ammonia. J. Mol Evoi 1983,19, 383-390. 

H2. The H2 would diffuse out of Earth s atmosphere. Even in these less reducing atmospheres (e.g., CO and CO2 instead of CH4, N2 instead of NH3), Miller-type experiments yield amino acids, nucleic acid bases, and simple sugars. However, such syntheses do not occur in the presence of molecular oxygen (O2) and the principle holds prebiotic synthesis requires a reducing atmosphere and is not possible in Earth s current oxidizing atmosphere. 

For these reasons, it is generally felt that the interstellar molecules played at most a minor role in the origin of life. However, the presence of so many molecules of prebiotic importance in interstellar space, combined with the fact that their synthesis must differ from that on the primitive earth where the conditions were very different, indicates that some molecules are particularly easily synthesized when radicals and ions recombine. Another way of saying this is that there appears to be a universal organic chemistry, which shows up in interstellar space, in the atmospheres of the major planets, and in the reducing atmosphere of the primitive earth. 

Electricity has generally been recognized as a probable promoter of organic synthesis going back billions of years. A report by Sutherland and Whitfield summarizes some of the evidence for this.82 Thus, electrical spark discharges in the presence of simple molecules believed to be present in the planet s prebiotic atmosphere have been shown to produce a few of the building blocks needed for the creation of life. The sun also provided other forms of energy (e.g., infrared and ultraviolet radiation, inter alia). Some of the processes proved by laboratory experiments are ... 

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