Thiophosphate photochemistry enables prebiotic access to sugars and terpenoid precursors.

ABSTRACT: Over the past few years, evidence has accrued that demonstrates that terrestrial photochemical reactions could have provided numerous (proto)biomolecules with implications for the origin of life. This chemistry simply relies on UV light, inorganic sulfur species and hydrogen cyanide. Recently, we reported that, under the same conditions, reduced phosphorus species, such as those delivered by meteorites, can be oxidized to orthophosphate, generating thiophosphate in the process. Here we describe an investigation of the properties of thiophosphate as well as additional possible means for its formation on primitive Earth. We show that several reported prebiotic reactions, including the photoreduction of thioamides, carbonyl groups and cyanohydrins, can be markedly improved, and that tetroses

SUBMITTER: Ritson DJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10533393 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature