Carbon organic, abiotic syntheses

McCollom, T.M. Seewald, J.S. Carbon isotope composition of organic compounds produced by abiotic synthesis under hydrothermal conditions. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 2006, 243, 74—84. 

Takano, Y. Ohashi, A. Kaneko T. Kobayashi, K. Abiotic synthesis of high-molecular-weight organics from an inorganic gas mixture of carbon monoxide, ammonia and water by 3 MeV proton irradiation. Appl. Phys. Lett. 2004, 84, 1410-1412. 

I asked Severo whether it would be worthwhile to study non-enzymic reactions involving formaldehyde, certain one-carbon compounds and other simple organic molecules in the hope of discovering abiotic pathways for the synthesis of the most important blocks of biological macromolecules. His answer was quite encouraging, and although I was not fully prepared to start work in this field immediately, it helped me to plan the program of research which I was to carry out later upon the completion of my doctoral studies. 

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