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Cited by 201Origins and Evolution of LifePaleontology and Stratigraphy of FossilsSpace Science and Extraterrestrial Life

A carbonate-rich lake solution to the phosphate problem of the origin of life

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Toner, Jonathan D., Catling, David C.·2020·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
DOI 10.1073/pnas.1916109117PMC PMC6969521
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Abstract

Significance: Phosphate is crucial for the origin of life because it is ubiquitous in key biomolecules. A major issue is that prebiotic syntheses use concentrated phosphate to incorporate phosphate into biomolecules, whereas natural waters are generally phosphate-poor because phosphate reacts with calcium to form low-solubility apatite minerals. Here we show that carbonate-rich lakes can concentrate phosphate to >1 molal levels by locking up calcium in carbonate minerals, which prevents phosphate removal by apatite precipitation. Phosphate-rich lakes may have preferentially formed on the prebiotic Earth because of carbonic acid weathering under CO 2 -rich atmospheres and the absence of microbial phosphate consumption. This specifically points to an origin of life in carbonate-rich lakes, and so defines aqueous conditions that prebiotic chemists should consider.

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  • With six reactive species, formaldehyde, HCN, formamide, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and water, plus an inorganic phosphate source, it should be possible to build most of the structural complexity of the main biological molecular components.

    “With these six reactive species in hand, and some inorganic phosphate source,42,43 it should be possible to build most of the structural complexity comprising the main biological molecular components.”

    From The protometabolic nature of prebiotic chemistry (2023) · cites this paper as [43]

  • Phosphate has always presented problems in prebiotic chemistry because of its low solubility in contact with calcium to generate apatite, which is more or less insoluble.

    “Phosphate has always presented problems in prebiotic chemistry because of its low solubility in contact with calcium to generate apatite, which is more or less insoluble, leading to various suggestions, that certain kinds of carbonate rich lakes existed on the primordial Earth that maintained phosphate in solution (Toner and Catling, 2020).”

    From Serpentinization as the source of energy, electrons, organics, catalysts, nutrients and pH gradients for the origin of LUCA and life (2023) · cites this paper as Toner and Catling, 2020

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Authors
Toner, J. D., & Catling, D. C.
Affiliations
University of Washington (US)
Corresponding author
Toner, Jonathan D.
ORCID
Venue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Publisher
National Academy of Sciences
Published
2019-12-30
Volume
117
Issue
2
Pages
883-888
ISSN
  • 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
  • 1091-6490
DOI
10.1073/pnas.1916109117
PMC
PMC6969521
OpenAlex
W2996847227
Cited by
201
References
10
Citations by year
2026: 23 · 2025: 38 · 2024: 35 · 2023: 36 · 2022: 30 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 1
FWCI
9.21
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Simons Collaboration on the Origin of Life (511570)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Origins and Evolution of Life
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life
Keywords
origin of life, phosphate, apatite precipitation, calcium carbonate minerals, phosphate concentration, CO2-rich atmosphere, prebiotic chemistry, aqueous chemistry
MeSH terms
Origin of Life, Apatites, Calcium, Carbon Dioxide, Carbonates, Cell Membrane, Hydrogen-Ion Concentration, Minerals, Models, Biological, Phosphates, Solubility, Rivers, Lakes

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