5:15 PM - 7:15 PM
[MIS08-P03] Exploring Nucleobase Formation Through Formose-Type Reaction with Ammonia Simulating Parent Bodies of Meteorites
In studies of the origin of life on Earth, the synthesis of organic matter within meteoritic parent bodies is an important theme. During aqueous alteration inside parent bodies, amino acids and sugars could be produced from simple molecules such as formaldehyde and ammonia via formose-type reaction by heat and/or gamma rays produced by radioactive nuclides such as 26Al [1-4]. In this study, we focus on examining the formation of nucleobases, which are the fundamental building blocks of nucleic acids such as DNA and RNA.
Aqueous solutions containing formaldehyde, methanol, ammonia, with and without glycolaldehyde were subjected to heating and/or gamma-ray irradiation. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and LC-Orbitrap-MS/MS were employed to perform qualitative and quantitative analysis of the products.
As a result, compounds such as thymine and imidazole were tentatively identified. Furthermore, the yields of these compounds increased with the presence of glycolaldehyde. Conversely, purine bases such as guanine and adenine were not detected, leading to the results that differ from the distribution of nucleobases reported in meteorites. This discrepancy may be attributed to variations in the composition of the starting materials, reaction conditions, or the stability of nucleobases. This study demonstrates that the impact of formose-type reactions in the prebiotic organic synthesis process within meteorite parent bodies may contribute to a further understanding of nucleotide formation.
[1] Y. Kebukawa, et al. One-pot synthesis of amino acid precursors with insoluble organic matter in planetesimals with aqueous activity. Science advances, 3, e1602093 (2017)
[2] Y. Furukawa, et al. Extraterrestrial ribose and other sugars in primitive meteorites. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116, 24440-24445 (2019)
[3] Y. Kebukawa, et al. Gamma-ray-induced amino acid formation in aqueous small bodies in the early solar system. ACS Central Science, 8, 1664-1671 (2022)
[4] S. Abe, et al. Gamma-Ray-Induced Synthesis of Sugars in Meteorite Parent Bodies. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, 8, 1737-1744 (2024)
Aqueous solutions containing formaldehyde, methanol, ammonia, with and without glycolaldehyde were subjected to heating and/or gamma-ray irradiation. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and LC-Orbitrap-MS/MS were employed to perform qualitative and quantitative analysis of the products.
As a result, compounds such as thymine and imidazole were tentatively identified. Furthermore, the yields of these compounds increased with the presence of glycolaldehyde. Conversely, purine bases such as guanine and adenine were not detected, leading to the results that differ from the distribution of nucleobases reported in meteorites. This discrepancy may be attributed to variations in the composition of the starting materials, reaction conditions, or the stability of nucleobases. This study demonstrates that the impact of formose-type reactions in the prebiotic organic synthesis process within meteorite parent bodies may contribute to a further understanding of nucleotide formation.
[1] Y. Kebukawa, et al. One-pot synthesis of amino acid precursors with insoluble organic matter in planetesimals with aqueous activity. Science advances, 3, e1602093 (2017)
[2] Y. Furukawa, et al. Extraterrestrial ribose and other sugars in primitive meteorites. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116, 24440-24445 (2019)
[3] Y. Kebukawa, et al. Gamma-ray-induced amino acid formation in aqueous small bodies in the early solar system. ACS Central Science, 8, 1664-1671 (2022)
[4] S. Abe, et al. Gamma-Ray-Induced Synthesis of Sugars in Meteorite Parent Bodies. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, 8, 1737-1744 (2024)