A Universal Geochemical Scenario for Formamide Condensation and Prebiotic Chemistry
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The condensation of formamide has been shown to be a robust chemical pathway affording molecules necessary for the origin of life. It has been experimentally demonstrated that condensation reactions of formamide are catalyzed by a number of minerals, including silicates, phosphates, sulfides, zirconia, and borates, and by cosmic dusts and meteorites. However, a critical discussion of the catalytic power of the tested minerals, and the geochemical conditions under which the condensation would occur, is still missing. We show here that mineral self‐assembled structures forming under alkaline silica‐rich solutions are excellent catalysts for the condensation of formamide with respect to other minerals. We also propose that these structures were likely forming as early as 4.4 billion years ago when the whole earth surface was a reactor, a global scale factory, releasing large amounts of organic compounds. Our experimental results suggest that the conditions required for the synthesis of the molecular bricks from which life self‐assembles, rather than being local and bizarre, appears to be universal and geologically rather conventional.
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Formamide is related to HCN through a dehydration process and can be a source of carbon monoxide, ammonia, and formaldehyde through catalytic degradation.
“A similar scenario emerges from the chemistry of formamide, which is indeed related with HCN through a dehydration process, and can be a source of carbon monoxide and ammonia, and of formaldehyde, through different catalytic degradation processes.48”
From The protometabolic nature of prebiotic chemistry (2023) · cites this paper as [48]
The Introduction (page unavailable) says formamide and HCN undergo relatively facile interconversion, supporting their chemical relationship. It does not identify dehydration as the process, and the passages on mineral-catalyzed formamide reactions do not report carbon monoxide, ammonia, or formaldehyde as degradation products. (LLM, conf=0.84)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredCompared with HCN, formamide yields a wider variety of prebiotic biomolecules because the presence of oxygen allows an interplay of oxygenous and nitrogenous reactive species that is not possible in HCN oligomerization alone.
“In comparison to the chemistry of HCN, the reasons why formamide yields a wider variety of prebiotic biomolecules are diverse.84–89 The presence of oxygen in its structure allows an interplay of oxygenous and nitrogenous reactive species that is not possible in the HCN oligomerization alone.”
From The protometabolic nature of prebiotic chemistry (2023) · cites this paper as [89]
The Introduction and “The Effect of Minerals on Formamide Condensation” (page numbers unavailable) describe formamide producing diverse prebiotic compounds, including nucleobases, amino acids, sugars, and carboxylic acids. They do not establish that it produces a wider variety than HCN or attribute that difference to an interplay of oxygenous and nitrogenous reactive species absent from HCN oligomerization. (LLM, conf=0.84)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredFormamide chemistry at high temperatures and in the presence of mineral surfaces has led to production of biological building blocks including amino acids, sugars, acyclonucleosides, condensing agents, long chain carboxylic acids, and core metabolic intermediates of the glyoxylate and TCA cycles.
“Indeed, the chemistry of formamide at high temperatures and in the presence of mineral surfaces has led to the production of biological building blocks ranging from amino acids, sugars, acyclonucleosides, condensing agents, long chain carboxylic acids and core metabolic intermediates of the glyoxylate and TCA cycles (Scheme 6, compounds outside the dashed circle).89,90”
From The protometabolic nature of prebiotic chemistry (2023) · cites this paper as [89]
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Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredFormamide chemistry in the presence of mineral surfaces has led to amino acids, acyclonucleosides, sugars, and biologically relevant carboxylic acid derivatives.
“This explains why the chemistry of formamide (d in Scheme 1), in the presence of mineral surfaces, has led to amino acids, acyclonucleosides, sugars and biologically relevant carboxylic acid derivatives, as it will be shortly revised below.”
From The protometabolic nature of prebiotic chemistry (2023) · cites this paper as [48]
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The protometabolic nature of prebiotic chemistry
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Saladino, R., Di Mauro, E., & García‐Ruiz, J. M.
- Affiliations
- Università degli Studi della Tuscia (IT)
- Dipartimento di Scienze Ecologiche e Biologiche Università della Tuscia Via San Camillo De Lellis 01100 Viterbo Italy
- Laboratorio de Estudios Cristalográficos, Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra CSIC-Universidad de Granada Av. De las Palmeras 4 Armilla Granada Spain
- Corresponding author
- Saladino, Raffaele
- Venue
- Chemistry – A European Journal
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2018-12-27
- Volume
- 25
- Issue
- 13
- Pages
- 3181-3189
- ISSN
- 0947-6539 (ISSN-L)
- 1521-3765
- PMC
- PMC6470889
- OpenAlex
- W2890965741
- Cited by
- 74
- References
- 8
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 19 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 0.90
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Chemistry - A European Journal (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- Institutional Repository of the University of Granada (University of Granada) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- DIGITAL.CSIC (Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)) (submittedVersion)
- UnitusOpen (Tuscia University) (submittedVersion)
- IRIS Research product catalog (Sapienza University of Rome) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Scuola Normale Superiore (PRIN 2015, 2015F59J3R)
- European Commission (2007–2013, FP7 2007-2013, FP7/2007)
- Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca (2007–2013, 2015F59J3R, PRIN 2015)
- Agencia Estatal de Investigación
- FP7 Ideas: European Research Council (340863)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Origins and Evolution of Life
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies
- Keywords
- prebiotic chemistry, origin of life, mineral catalysis, early Earth geochemistry, cosmic dust, meteorites, silicate, zirconia, borate, sulfide, phosphate
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