Origin of alkylphosphonic acids in the interstellar medium.

ABSTRACT: For decades, the source of phosphorus incorporated into Earth's first organisms has remained a fundamental, unsolved puzzle. Although contemporary biomolecules incorporate P(+V) in their phosphate moieties, the limited bioavailability of phosphates led to the proposal that more soluble P(+III) compounds served as the initial source of phosphorus. Here, we report via laboratory simulation experiments that the three simplest alkylphosphonic acids, soluble organic phosphorus P(+III) compounds, can be efficiently generated in interstellar, phosphine-doped ices through interaction with galactic cosmic rays. This discovery opens a previously overlooked avenue into the formation of key molecules of astrobiological significance and untangles basic mechanisms of a facile synthesis of phosphorus-con

SUBMITTER: Turner AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6685711 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature