Serpentinization-Associated Mineral Catalysis of the Protometabolic Formose System.

ABSTRACT: The formose reaction is a plausible prebiotic chemistry, famed for its production of sugars. In this work, we demonstrate that the Cannizzaro process is the dominant process in the formose reaction under many different conditions, thus necessitating a catalyst for the formose reaction under various environmental circumstances. The investigated formose reactions produce primarily organic acids associated with metabolism, a protometabolic system, and yield very little sugar left over. This is due to many of the acids forming from the degradation and Cannizaro reactions of many of the sugars produced during the formose reaction. We also show the heterogeneous Lewis-acid-based catalysis of the formose reaction by mineral systems associated with serpentinization. The minerals that showed cataly

SUBMITTER: Omran A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10303151 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature