Photochemistry of 2-thiooxazole: a plausible prebiotic precursor to RNA nucleotides.

ABSTRACT: Potentially prebiotic chemical reactions leading to RNA nucleotides involve periods of UV irradiation, which are necessary to promote selectivity and destroy biologially irrelevant side products. Nevertheless, UV light has only been applied to promote specific stages of prebiotic reactions and its effect on complete prebiotic reaction sequences has not been extensively studied. Here, we report on an experimental and computational investigation of the photostability of 2-thiooxazole (2-TO), a potential precursor of pyrimidine and 8-oxopurine nucleotides on early Earth. Our UV-irradiation experiments resulted in rapid decomposition of 2-TO into unidentified small molecule photoproducts. We further clarify the underlying photochemistry by means of accurate ab initio calculations and su

SUBMITTER: Bertram L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7613695 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature