Energy sources, prebiotic synthesis

Sugars play a dual role in all living organisms they are the principal source of energy for cellular processes and are indispensable components of DNA and RNA information carriers. The possibility of prebiotic synthesis of various sugars was demonstrated by Butlerow in 1861 [28], who showed that a simple prebiotic molecule - formaldehyde - can be used for the synthesis of a mixture of various sugars in a Ca(OH)2-catalyzed series of aldol condensations. The reaction starts... 

Particularly important here is the role of transition metal sulfides. In 1988 Wachtershauser proposed that pyrite, abundant in hydrothermal vent systems, provided an energy source for the first life. He suggested that pyrite provided the catalyst necessary to drive a number of essential chemical reactions which are important precursors to life. More recent studies have confirmed this view and have shown that the sulfides of Fe, Ni, Co, and Zn can play an important role in the fixation of carbon in a prebiotic world (Cody et al., 2004). Transition metal sulfides also play a role in more advance organic synthesis, and Huber and Wachtershauser (1998) showed how amino acids were converted into their peptides using a (NiFe)S catalyst. 

Garzon L, Garzon ML Radioactivity as a significant energy source in prebiotic synthesis. Orig Life Evol Biosph 2001, 31(1—2) 3—13. 

---