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Liu Z, Sinopoli A, Francisco JS, Gladich I. Water-Catalyzed Formation of Reactive Oxygen Species from NO 2 on a Weakly Hydrated Calcite Surface. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:17898-17907. [PMID: 38912929 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c03650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/25/2024]
Abstract
The interfaces of weakly hydrated mineral substrates have been shown to serve as catalytic sites for chemical reactions that may not be accessible in the gas phase or under bulk conditions. Currently known mechanisms for the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) from nitrogen dioxide (NO2) involve NO2 dimerization. Here, we report the formation of the ROS HONO via a mechanism involving simple adsorption of a single NO2 molecule on a weakly hydrated calcite substrate. First-principles molecular dynamics simulations coupled with enhanced sampling techniques show how an adsorbed water sublayer can enhance NO2 adsorption on calcite compared to adsorption on a bare dry substrate. On the weakly hydrated calcite surface, an interfacial electric field facilitates proton extraction from water, thus allowing HONO formation from a single adsorbed NO2, i.e., without the need for the formation of a NO2 dimer precomplex. HONO formation on calcite is kinetically more favorable than that in the gas phase, with a reaction barrier of 14 kcal/mol on the weakly hydrated calcite surface compared to 27 kcal/mol in the gas phase. Further photocatalysed HONO production by visible light and HONO dissociation are hampered on calcite, unlike the process on silica. NO2 is a significant anthropogenic pollutant, and understanding its chemistry is crucial for explaining the high ROS levels and haze formation in polluted areas or prebiotic ROS generation. These findings emphasize how mineral substrates under water-restricted hydration conditions can trigger chemical pathways that are unexpected in the gas phase or under bulk conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziao Liu
- Department of Earth and Environmental Science and Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Alessandro Sinopoli
- Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, P.O. Box 34410, Doha, Qatar
| | - Joseph S Francisco
- Department of Earth and Environmental Science and Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Ivan Gladich
- Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, P.O. Box 34410, Doha, Qatar
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2
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Liu Z, Sinopoli A, Francisco JS, Gladich I. Uptake and reactivity of NO2 on the hydroxylated silica surface: A source of reactive oxygen species. J Chem Phys 2023; 159:234704. [PMID: 38108483 DOI: 10.1063/5.0178259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023] Open
Abstract
We report state-of-the-art first-principles molecular dynamics results on the heterogeneous chemical uptake of NO2, a major anthropogenic pollutant, on the dry and wet hydroxylated surface of α-quartz, which is a significant component of silica-based catalysts and atmospheric dust aerosols. Our investigation spotlights an unexpected chemical pathway by which NO2 (i) can be adsorbed as HONO by deprotonation of interfacial silanols (i.e., -Si-OH group) on silica, (ii) can be barrierless converted to nitric acid, and (iii) can finally dissociated to surface bounded NO and hydroxyl gas phase radicals. This chemical pathway does not invoke any previously experimentally postulated NO2 dimerization, dimerization that is less likely to occur at low NO2 concentrations. Moreover, water significantly catalyzes the HONO formation and the dissociation of nitric acid into surface-bounded NO and OH radicals, while visible light adsorption can further promote these chemical transformations. This work highlights how water-restricted solvation regimes on common mineral substrates are likely to be a source of reactive oxygen species, and it offers a theoretical framework for further and desirable experimental efforts, aiming to better constrain trace gases/mineral interactions at different relative humidity conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziao Liu
- Department of Earth and Environmental Science and Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - Alessandro Sinopoli
- Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, P.O. Box 34410, Doha, Qatar
| | - Joseph S Francisco
- Department of Earth and Environmental Science and Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - Ivan Gladich
- Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, P.O. Box 34410, Doha, Qatar
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Brown SM, Mayer-Bacon C, Freeland S. Xeno Amino Acids: A Look into Biochemistry as We Do Not Know It. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:2281. [PMID: 38137883 PMCID: PMC10744825 DOI: 10.3390/life13122281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 11/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Would another origin of life resemble Earth's biochemical use of amino acids? Here, we review current knowledge at three levels: (1) Could other classes of chemical structure serve as building blocks for biopolymer structure and catalysis? Amino acids now seem both readily available to, and a plausible chemical attractor for, life as we do not know it. Amino acids thus remain important and tractable targets for astrobiological research. (2) If amino acids are used, would we expect the same L-alpha-structural subclass used by life? Despite numerous ideas, it is not clear why life favors L-enantiomers. It seems clearer, however, why life on Earth uses the shortest possible (alpha-) amino acid backbone, and why each carries only one side chain. However, assertions that other backbones are physicochemically impossible have relaxed into arguments that they are disadvantageous. (3) Would we expect a similar set of side chains to those within the genetic code? Many plausible alternatives exist. Furthermore, evidence exists for both evolutionary advantage and physicochemical constraint as explanatory factors for those encoded by life. Overall, as focus shifts from amino acids as a chemical class to specific side chains used by post-LUCA biology, the probable role of physicochemical constraint diminishes relative to that of biological evolution. Exciting opportunities now present themselves for laboratory work and computing to explore how changing the amino acid alphabet alters the universe of protein folds. Near-term milestones include: (a) expanding evidence about amino acids as attractors within chemical evolution; (b) extending characterization of other backbones relative to biological proteins; and (c) merging computing and laboratory explorations of structures and functions unlocked by xeno peptides.
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Magrino T, Huet L, Saitta AM, Pietrucci F. Critical Assessment of Data-Driven versus Heuristic Reaction Coordinates in Solution Chemistry. J Phys Chem A 2022; 126:8887-8900. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.2c07640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Théo Magrino
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie, Sorbonne Université, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS UMR 7590, Paris 75005, France
| | - Léon Huet
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie, Sorbonne Université, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS UMR 7590, Paris 75005, France
| | - A. Marco Saitta
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie, Sorbonne Université, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS UMR 7590, Paris 75005, France
| | - Fabio Pietrucci
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie, Sorbonne Université, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS UMR 7590, Paris 75005, France
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5
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Devergne T, Magrino T, Pietrucci F, Saitta AM. Combining Machine Learning Approaches and Accurate Ab Initio Enhanced Sampling Methods for Prebiotic Chemical Reactions in Solution. J Chem Theory Comput 2022; 18:5410-5421. [PMID: 35930696 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.2c00400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The study of the thermodynamics, kinetics, and microscopic mechanisms of chemical reactions in solution requires the use of advanced free-energy methods for predictions to be quantitative. This task is however a formidable one for atomistic simulation methods, as the cost of quantum-based ab initio approaches, to obtain statistically meaningful samplings of the relevant chemical spaces and networks, becomes exceedingly heavy. In this work, we critically assess the optimal structure and minimal size of an ab initio training set able to lead to accurate free-energy profiles sampled with neural network potentials. The results allow one to propose an ab initio protocol where the ad hoc inclusion of a machine-learning (ML)-based task can significantly increase the computational efficiency, while keeping the ab initio accuracy and, at the same time, avoiding some of the notorious extrapolation risks in typical atomistic ML approaches. We focus on two representative, and computationally challenging, reaction steps of the classic Strecker-cyanohydrin mechanism for glycine synthesis in water solution, where the main precursors are formaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide. We demonstrate that indistinguishable ab initio quality results are obtained, thanks to the ML subprotocol, at about 1 order of magnitude less of computational load.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothée Devergne
- UMR CNRS 7590, Muséum National d' Histoire Naturelle, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie, Sorbonne Université, 75252 Paris, France
| | - Théo Magrino
- UMR CNRS 7590, Muséum National d' Histoire Naturelle, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie, Sorbonne Université, 75252 Paris, France
| | - Fabio Pietrucci
- UMR CNRS 7590, Muséum National d' Histoire Naturelle, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie, Sorbonne Université, 75252 Paris, France
| | - A Marco Saitta
- UMR CNRS 7590, Muséum National d' Histoire Naturelle, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie, Sorbonne Université, 75252 Paris, France
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6
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Giese CC, ten Kate IL, van den Ende MPA, Wolthers M, Aponte JC, Camprubi E, Dworkin JP, Elsila JE, Hangx S, King HE, Mclain HL, Plümper O, Tielens AGG. Experimental and Theoretical Constraints on Amino Acid Formation from PAHs in Asteroidal Settings. ACS EARTH & SPACE CHEMISTRY 2022; 6:468-481. [PMID: 35330631 PMCID: PMC8935471 DOI: 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.1c00329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Amino acids and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) belong to the range of organic compounds detected in meteorites. In this study, we tested empirically and theoretically if PAHs are precursors for amino acids in carbonaceous chondrites, as previously suggested. We conducted experiments to synthesize amino acids from fluoranthene (PAH), with ammonium bicarbonate as a source for ammonia and carbon dioxide under mimicked asteroidal conditions. In our thermodynamic calculations, we extended our analysis to additional PAH-amino acid combinations. We explored 36 reactions involving the PAHs naphthalene, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, triphenylene, and coronene and the amino acids glycine, alanine, valine, leucine, phenylalanine, and tyrosine. Our experiments do not show the formation of amino acids, whereas our theoretical results hint that PAHs could be precursors of amino acids in carbonaceous chondrites at low temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia-Corina Giese
- Leiden
Observatory, Faculty of Science, Leiden
University, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department
of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Inge Loes ten Kate
- Department
of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | | | - Mariette Wolthers
- Department
of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - José C. Aponte
- Solar
System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard
Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
- Department
of Physics, The Catholic University of America, Washington D. C. 20064, United States
- Center for
Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
| | - Eloi Camprubi
- Department
of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jason P. Dworkin
- Solar
System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard
Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
| | - Jamie E. Elsila
- Solar
System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard
Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
| | - Suzanne Hangx
- Department
of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Helen E. King
- Department
of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Hannah L. Mclain
- Solar
System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard
Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
- Department
of Physics, The Catholic University of America, Washington D. C. 20064, United States
- Center for
Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
| | - Oliver Plümper
- Department
of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands
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7
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Brémond É, Savarese M, Rega N, Ciofini I, Adamo C. Free Energy Profiles of Proton Transfer Reactions: Density Functional Benchmark from Biased Ab Initio Dynamics. J Chem Theory Comput 2022; 18:1501-1511. [PMID: 35129987 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.1c01002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
By coupling an enhanced sampling algorithm with an orbital-localized variant of Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics, the so-called atomic centered density matrix propagation model, we reconstruct the free energy profiles along reaction pathways using different density functional approximations (DFAs) ranging from locals to hybrids. In particular, we compare the computed free energy barrier height of proton transfer (PT) reactions to those obtained by a more traditional static approach, based on the intrinsic reaction coordinate (IRC), for two case systems, namely malonaldehyde and formic acid dimer. The obtained results show that both the IRC profiles and the potentials of mean force, derived from biased dynamic trajectories, are very sensitive to the density functional approximation applied. More precisely, we observe that, with the notable exception of M06-L, local density functionals always strongly underestimate the reaction barrier heights. More generally, we find that also the shape of the free energy profile is very sensitive to the density functional choice, thus highlighting the effect, often neglected, that the choice of DFA has also in the case of dynamics simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Éric Brémond
- Université de Paris, ITODYS, CNRS, F-75006 Paris, France
| | - Marika Savarese
- Chimie ParisTech-PSL, CNRS, Institute of Chemistry for Health and Life Sciences, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Nadia Rega
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università di Napoli Federico II, Complesso Universitario di M.S. Angelo, via Cintia, I-80126 Napoli, Italy.,Scuola Superiore Meridionale, Largo S. Marcellino 10, I-80138 Napoli, Italy.,Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca sui Biomateriali (CRIB), Piazzale Tecchio 80, I-80125, Napoli, Italy
| | - Ilaria Ciofini
- Chimie ParisTech-PSL, CNRS, Institute of Chemistry for Health and Life Sciences, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Carlo Adamo
- Chimie ParisTech-PSL, CNRS, Institute of Chemistry for Health and Life Sciences, F-75005 Paris, France.,Institut Universitaire de France, 103 Boulevard Saint Michel, F-75005 Paris, France
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Sharma S, Arya A, Cruz R, Cleaves II HJ. Automated Exploration of Prebiotic Chemical Reaction Space: Progress and Perspectives. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:1140. [PMID: 34833016 PMCID: PMC8624352 DOI: 10.3390/life11111140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Prebiotic chemistry often involves the study of complex systems of chemical reactions that form large networks with a large number of diverse species. Such complex systems may have given rise to emergent phenomena that ultimately led to the origin of life on Earth. The environmental conditions and processes involved in this emergence may not be fully recapitulable, making it difficult for experimentalists to study prebiotic systems in laboratory simulations. Computational chemistry offers efficient ways to study such chemical systems and identify the ones most likely to display complex properties associated with life. Here, we review tools and techniques for modelling prebiotic chemical reaction networks and outline possible ways to identify self-replicating features that are central to many origin-of-life models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siddhant Sharma
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, WA 98154, USA; (S.S.); (A.A.); (R.C.)
- Department of Biochemistry, Deshbandhu College, University of Delhi, New Delhi 110019, India
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Aayush Arya
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, WA 98154, USA; (S.S.); (A.A.); (R.C.)
- Department of Physics, Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar-Delhi GT Road, Phagwara 144001, India
| | - Romulo Cruz
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, WA 98154, USA; (S.S.); (A.A.); (R.C.)
- Big Data Laboratory, Information and Communications Technology Center (CTIC), National University of Engineering, Amaru 210, Lima 15333, Peru
| | - Henderson James Cleaves II
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, WA 98154, USA; (S.S.); (A.A.); (R.C.)
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
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