1
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Sano M, Kamei K, Yatsuhashi T, Sakota K. Localization and Orientation of Dye Molecules at the Surface of a Levitated Microdroplet in Air Revealed by Whispering Gallery Mode Resonances. J Phys Chem Lett 2024:8133-8141. [PMID: 39087939 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.4c01819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/02/2024]
Abstract
Microdroplets offer unique environments that accelerate chemical reactions; however, the mechanisms behind these processes remain debated. The localization and orientation of solute molecules near the droplet surface have been proposed as factors for this acceleration. Since significant reaction acceleration has been observed for electrospray- and sonic-spray-generated aerosol droplets, the analysis of microdroplets in air has become essential. Here, we utilized whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonances to investigate the localization and orientation of dissolved rhodamine B (RhB) in a levitated microdroplet (∼3 μm in diameter) in air. Fluorescence enhancement upon resonance with the WGMs revealed the localization and orientation of RhB near the droplet surface. Numerical modeling using Mie theory quantified the RhB orientation at 68° to the surface normal, with a small fraction randomly oriented inside the droplet. Additionally, low RhB concentrations increased surface localization. These results support the significance of surface reactions in the acceleration of microdroplet reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Motoya Sano
- Division of Molecular Material Science, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, 3-3-138, Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558-8585, Japan
| | - Kota Kamei
- Division of Molecular Material Science, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, 3-3-138, Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558-8585, Japan
| | - Tomoyuki Yatsuhashi
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Osaka Metropolitan University, 3-3-138, Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558-8585, Japan
| | - Kenji Sakota
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Osaka Metropolitan University, 3-3-138, Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558-8585, Japan
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2
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Wei W, Chu F, Chen G, Zhou S, Sun C, Feng H, Pan Y. Prebiotic Formation of Peptides Through Bubbling and Arc Plasma. Chemistry 2024; 30:e202401809. [PMID: 38802327 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202401809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2024] [Revised: 05/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
The abiotic synthesis of peptides, widely regarded as one of the key chemical reactions on the prebiotic Earth, is thermodynamically constrained in solution. Herein, a simulation of the lightning phenomenon on the sea surface using bubble bursting and arc plasma under ambient conditions enables dipeptide formation of six amino acids with conversion ratios ranging from 2.6 % to 25.5 %. Additionally, we observed the formation of biologically active tripeptides and investigated the stereoselectivity of the dipeptide formation reaction. By utilizing a mixture of 20 amino acids in the reaction, 102 possible dipeptides were generated. These results establish experimental constructions to mimic achievable prebiotic conditions and provide a credible pathway for endogenous biopolymer synthesis on prebiotic Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Wei
- Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
| | - Fengjian Chu
- College of Information Science and Electronic Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
| | - Guanru Chen
- Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
| | - Shiwen Zhou
- Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
| | - Cuirong Sun
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Hongru Feng
- Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
| | - Yuanjiang Pan
- Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
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3
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Krushinski LE, Dick JE. Direct electrochemical evidence suggests that aqueous microdroplets spontaneously produce hydrogen peroxide. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2321064121. [PMID: 38466847 PMCID: PMC10962973 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2321064121] [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: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent reports have detailed the striking observation that electroactive molecules, such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and radical water species (H2O.+/H2O.-), are spontaneously produced in aqueous microdroplets. Stochastic electrochemistry allows one to study reactions in real-time occurring inside subfemtoliter droplets, one droplet at a time, when a microdroplet irreversibly adsorbs to an ultramicroelectrode surface (radius ~ 5 µm). Here, we use stochastic electrochemistry to probe the formation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in single aqueous microdroplets suspended in 1,2-dichloroethane. The oxidation of H2O2 at alkaline pH (11.5) differs from near-neutral conditions (6.4), allowing us to create a digital, turn-off sensing modality for the presence of H2O2. Further, we show that the stochastic electrochemical signal is highest at the mass transfer limitation of the H2O2 couple and is dampened when the potential nears the formal potential. We validate these results by showing that the addition of a H2O2 selective probe, luminol, decreases the stochastic electrochemical response at alkaline pH (11.5). Our results support the observation that H2O2 is generated in water microdroplets at concentrations of ~100 s of µM.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jeffrey E. Dick
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN47907
- Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN47907
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4
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Ge Q, Liu Y, You W, Wang W, Li K, Ruan X, Xie L, Wang T, Zhang L. Prebiotic synthesis of mineral-bearing microdroplet from inorganic carbon photoreduction at air-water interface. PNAS NEXUS 2023; 2:pgad389. [PMID: 38034096 PMCID: PMC10682977 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad389] [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: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
The origin of life on Earth is an enigmatic and intricate conundrum that has yet to be comprehensively resolved despite recent significant developments within the discipline of archaeology and geology. Chemically, metal-sulfide minerals are speculated to serve as an important medium for giving birth in early life, while yet so far direct evidence to support the hypothesis for the highly efficient conversion of inorganic carbon into praxiological biomolecules remains scarce. In this work, we provide an initial indication that sphalerite, employed as a typical mineral, shows its enormous capability for promoting the conversion of inorganic carbon into elementary biomolecule formic acid (HCOOH) in airborne mineral-bearing aerosol microdroplet, which is over two orders of magnitude higher than that of the corresponding conventional bulk-like aqueous phase medium in the environment (e.g. river, lake, sea, etc.). This significant enhancement was further validated by a wide range of minerals and clays, including CuS, NiS, CoS, CdS, MnS, elemental sulfur, Arizona Test Dust, loess, nontronite, and montmorillonite. We reveal that the abundant interface of unique physical-chemical features instinct for aerosol or cloud microdroplets reduces the reaction energy barrier for the reaction, thus leading to extremely high HCOOH production (2.52 × 1014 kg year-1). This study unfolds unrecognized remarkable contributions of the considered scheme in the accumulation of prebiotic biomolecules in the ancient period of the Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiuyue Ge
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, IRDR International Center of Excellence on Risk Interconnectivity and Governance on Weather, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P. R. China
| | - Yangyang Liu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, IRDR International Center of Excellence on Risk Interconnectivity and Governance on Weather, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P. R. China
| | - Wenbo You
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, IRDR International Center of Excellence on Risk Interconnectivity and Governance on Weather, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P. R. China
| | - Wei Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, IRDR International Center of Excellence on Risk Interconnectivity and Governance on Weather, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P. R. China
| | - Kejian Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, IRDR International Center of Excellence on Risk Interconnectivity and Governance on Weather, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P. R. China
| | - Xuejun Ruan
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, IRDR International Center of Excellence on Risk Interconnectivity and Governance on Weather, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P. R. China
| | - Lifang Xie
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, IRDR International Center of Excellence on Risk Interconnectivity and Governance on Weather, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P. R. China
| | - Tao Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, IRDR International Center of Excellence on Risk Interconnectivity and Governance on Weather, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P. R. China
| | - Liwu Zhang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, IRDR International Center of Excellence on Risk Interconnectivity and Governance on Weather, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P. R. China
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai 200092, P. R. China
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5
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Ju Y, Zhang H, Jiang Y, Wang W, Kan G, Yu K, Wang X, Liu J, Jiang J. Aqueous microdroplets promote C-C bond formation and sequences in the reverse tricarboxylic acid cycle. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:1892-1902. [PMID: 37679455 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02193-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
The reverse tricarboxylic acid cycle (rTCA) is a central anabolic network that uses carbon dioxide (CO2) and may have provided complex carbon substrates for life before the advent of RNA or enzymes. However, non-enzymatic promotion of the rTCA cycle, in particular carbon fixation, remains challenging, even with primordial metal catalysis. Here, we report that the fixation of CO2 by reductive carboxylation of succinate and α-ketoglutarate was achieved in aqueous microdroplets under ambient conditions without the use of catalysts. Under identical conditions, the aqueous microdroplets also facilitated the sequences in the rTCA cycle, including reduction, hydration, dehydration and retro-aldol cleavage and linked with the glyoxylate cycle. These reactions of the rTCA cycle were compatible with the aqueous microdroplets, as demonstrated with two-reaction and four-reaction sequences. A higher selectivity giving higher product yields was also observed. Our results suggest that the microdroplets provide an energetically favourable microenvironment and facilitate a non-enzymatic version of the rTCA cycle in prebiotic carbon anabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Ju
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, PR China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, PR China
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, PR China
| | - Hong Zhang
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, PR China.
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, PR China.
| | - Yanxiao Jiang
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, PR China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, PR China
| | - Wenxin Wang
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, PR China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, PR China
| | - Guangfeng Kan
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, PR China
| | - Kai Yu
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, PR China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, PR China
| | - Xiaofei Wang
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, PR China
| | - Jilin Liu
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, PR China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, PR China
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, PR China
| | - Jie Jiang
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, PR China.
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, PR China.
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, PR China.
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6
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Harold SE, Warf SL, Shields GC. Prebiotic dimer and trimer peptide formation in gas-phase atmospheric nanoclusters of water. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:28517-28532. [PMID: 37847315 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp02915h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
Insight into the origin of prebiotic molecules is key to our understanding of how living systems evolved into the complex network of biological processes on Earth. By modelling diglycine and triglycine peptide formation in the prebiotic atmosphere, we provide a plausible pathway for peptide growth. By examining different transition states (TSs), we conclude that the formation of diglycine and triglycine in atmospheric nanoclusters of water in the prebiotic atmosphere kinetically favors peptide growth by an N-to-C synthesis of glycines through a trans conformation. Addition of water stabilizes the TS structures and lowers the Gibbs free activation energies. At temperatures that model the prebiotic atmosphere, the free energies of activation with a six water nanocluster as part of the TS are predicted to be 16 kcal mol-1 relative to the prereactive complex. Examination of the trans vs. cis six water transition states reveals that a homodromic water network that maximizes the acceptor/donor nature of the six waters is responsible for enhanced kinetic favorability of the trans N-to-C pathway. Compared to the non-hydrated trans TS, the trans six-water TS accelerates the reaction of diglycine and glycine to form triglycine by 13 orders of magnitude at 217 K. Nature uses the trans N-to-C pathway to synthesize proteins in the ribosome, and we note the similarities in hydrogen bond stabilization between the transition state for peptide synthesis in the ribosome and the transition states formed in nanoclusters of water in the same pathway. These results support the hypothesis that small oligomers formed in the prebiotic atmosphere and rained onto earth's surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon E Harold
- Department of Chemistry, Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina 29613, USA.
| | - Skyler L Warf
- Department of Chemistry, Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina 29613, USA.
| | - George C Shields
- Department of Chemistry, Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina 29613, USA.
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7
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Ju Y, He Y, Kan G, Yu K, Jiang J, Wang X, Zhang H. Reaction acceleration in microdroplet mass spectrometry: Inlet capillary and solvent composition effects. RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY : RCM 2023; 37 Suppl 1:e9498. [PMID: 36852554 DOI: 10.1002/rcm.9498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Microdroplet chemistry has attracted tremendous interest in recent years. We have previously reported that microdroplet mass spectrometry (MS) achieves reaction acceleration. Here we systematically investigated the effect of capillary heating of MS inlet and solvent polarity of microdroplets on the conversion ratios of dehydration and phosphorylation reactions. METHODS The micron-sized droplets generated by high-speed gas encapsulated the compounds. The conversion ratios of dehydration and phosphorylation reactions were investigated at different capillary temperatures of MS inlet between 30°C and 300°C. Subsequently, the effects of solvent polarity of different microdroplets (acetonitrile, acetonitrile/water [v/v: 9:1], and water) on microdroplet reactions were investigated. RESULTS The microdroplets could be used as reaction vessels for rapid dehydration and phosphorylation reactions. Microdroplet MS is characterized by the completion of the reaction in microseconds. The increase in capillary temperature increased the conversion ratio of dehydration reactions but had little effect on phosphorylation reactions. The stability of compounds supports this phenomenon. In addition, the increase in solvent polarity in microdroplets promoted the dehydration reaction but inhibited the nucleophilic substitution reaction (phosphorylation reaction). CONCLUSIONS Microdroplet MS achieved an acceleration of the reaction, which was attributed to capillary temperature, microdroplet solvents, and the stability of reaction products. This finding suggested that the inlet capillary and solvent system should be considered in the study and interpretation of microdroplet MS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Ju
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong, 264209, China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
| | - Yuwei He
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong, 264209, China
| | - Guangfeng Kan
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong, 264209, China
| | - Kai Yu
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong, 264209, China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
| | - Jie Jiang
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong, 264209, China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
| | - Xiaofei Wang
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong, 264209, China
| | - Hong Zhang
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong, 264209, China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
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8
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Ju Y, Zhang H, Wang X, Liu Y, Yang Y, Kan G, Yu K, Jiang J. Abiotic synthesis with plausible emergence for primitive phospholipid in aqueous microdroplets. J Colloid Interface Sci 2023; 634:535-542. [PMID: 36549202 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2022.12.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Phospholipids are the protective layer of modern cells, but it is challenging for the formation of phospholipids that require a simple abiotic synthesis before the advent of primitive cells. Here, we reported the abiotic synthesis for lysophosphatidic acids (LPAs) with prebiotically plausible reactants in aqueous microdroplets under ambient conditions. The LPAs formation is carried out by fusing two microdroplets streams: one contains glycerol and pyrophosphate in water and the other one contains fatty acids in acetonitrile. Compared with the bulk solution, LPAs were generated in microdroplets without the addition of catalyst and heating. Conditions of reactant concentrations and microdroplet size varied and suggested that LPAs formation occurred near or at the microdroplet surface. The LPAs formation also showed chemoselective toward on chain-length of fatty acids. Finally, the formation of LPAs underwent two-step reactions with glycerol phosphorylation eliminating one water molecule followed by esterification with fatty acids. These results also implicated that pyrophosphate functioned as both catalysts and precursors in prebiotic LPAs synthesis. The approach using fusion aqueous microdroplets has desirable features in studying the substance exchange and interaction in atmosphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Ju
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, PR China; School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150090, PR China
| | - Hong Zhang
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150090, PR China.
| | - Xiaofei Wang
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, PR China
| | - Yaqi Liu
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, PR China
| | - Yali Yang
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, PR China; School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150090, PR China
| | - Guangfeng Kan
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, PR China
| | - Kai Yu
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150090, PR China
| | - Jie Jiang
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150090, PR China; School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150090, PR China.
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9
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Nader S, Baccouche A, Connolly F, Abou-Ghanem M, Styler SA, Lewis JD, Pink D, Mansy SS. Model Atmospheric Aerosols Convert to Vesicles upon Entry into Aqueous Solution. ACS EARTH & SPACE CHEMISTRY 2023; 7:252-259. [PMID: 36704180 PMCID: PMC9869892 DOI: 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.2c00328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Aerosols are abundant on the Earth and likely played a role in prebiotic chemistry. Aerosol particles coagulate, divide, and sample a wide variety of conditions conducive to synthesis. While much work has centered on the generation of aerosols and their chemistry, little effort has been expended on their fate after settling. Here, using a laboratory model, we show that aqueous aerosols transform into cell-sized protocellular structures upon entry into aqueous solution containing lipid. Such processes provide for a heretofore unexplored pathway for the assembly of the building blocks of life from disparate geochemical regions within cell-like vesicles with a lipid bilayer in a manner that does not lead to dilution. The efficiency of aerosol to vesicle transformation is high with prebiotically plausible lipids, such as decanoic acid and decanol, that were previously shown to be capable of forming growing and dividing vesicles. The high transformation efficiency with 10-carbon lipids in landing solutions is consistent with the surface properties and dynamics of short-chain lipids. Similar processes may be operative today as fatty acids are common constituents of both contemporary aerosols and the sea. Our work highlights a new pathway that may have facilitated the emergence of the Earth's first cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serge Nader
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AlbertaT6G 2N4, Canada
| | - Alexandre Baccouche
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AlbertaT6G 2N4, Canada
| | - Fiona Connolly
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AlbertaT6G 2N4, Canada
| | - Maya Abou-Ghanem
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AlbertaT6G 2N4, Canada
| | - Sarah A. Styler
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AlbertaT6G 2N4, Canada
| | - John D. Lewis
- Department
of Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AlbertaT6G 2E1, Canada
| | - Desmond Pink
- Nanostics
Inc., Edmonton, AlbertaT5J 4P6, Canada
| | - Sheref S. Mansy
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AlbertaT6G 2N4, Canada
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10
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Westall F, Brack A, Fairén AG, Schulte MD. Setting the geological scene for the origin of life and continuing open questions about its emergence. FRONTIERS IN ASTRONOMY AND SPACE SCIENCES 2023; 9:1095701. [PMID: 38274407 PMCID: PMC7615569 DOI: 10.3389/fspas.2022.1095701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
The origin of life is one of the most fundamental questions of humanity. It has been and is still being addressed by a wide range of researchers from different fields, with different approaches and ideas as to how it came about. What is still incomplete is constrained information about the environment and the conditions reigning on the Hadean Earth, particularly on the inorganic ingredients available, and the stability and longevity of the various environments suggested as locations for the emergence of life, as well as on the kinetics and rates of the prebiotic steps leading to life. This contribution reviews our current understanding of the geological scene in which life originated on Earth, zooming in specifically on details regarding the environments and timescales available for prebiotic reactions, with the aim of providing experimenters with more specific constraints. Having set the scene, we evoke the still open questions about the origin of life: did life start organically or in mineralogical form? If organically, what was the origin of the organic constituents of life? What came first, metabolism or replication? What was the time-scale for the emergence of life? We conclude that the way forward for prebiotic chemistry is an approach merging geology and chemistry, i.e., far-from-equilibrium, wet-dry cycling (either subaerial exposure or dehydration through chelation to mineral surfaces) of organic reactions occurring repeatedly and iteratively at mineral surfaces under hydrothermal-like conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - André Brack
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS, Orléans, France
| | - Alberto G. Fairén
- Centro de Astrobiología (CAB, CSIC-INTA), Madrid, Spain
- Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
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11
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Peptide synthesis in aqueous microdroplets. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2216015119. [PMID: 36264818 PMCID: PMC9636960 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2216015119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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12
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Aqueous microdroplets enable abiotic synthesis and chain extension of unique peptide isomers from free amino acids. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2212642119. [PMID: 36191178 PMCID: PMC9586328 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2212642119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Amide bond formation, the essential condensation reaction underlying peptide synthesis, is hindered in aqueous systems by the thermodynamic constraints associated with dehydration. This represents a key difficulty for the widely held view that prebiotic chemical evolution leading to the formation of the first biomolecules occurred in an oceanic environment. Recent evidence for the acceleration of chemical reactions at droplet interfaces led us to explore aqueous amino acid droplet chemistry. We report the formation of dipeptide isomer ions from free glycine or L-alanine at the air-water interface of aqueous microdroplets emanating from a single spray source (with or without applied potential) during their flight toward the inlet of a mass spectrometer. The proposed isomeric dipeptide ion is an oxazolidinone that takes fully covalent and ion-neutral complex forms. This structure is consistent with observed fragmentation patterns and its conversion to authentic dipeptide ions upon gentle collisions and for its formation from authentic dipeptides at ultra-low concentrations. It also rationalizes the results of droplet fusion experiments that show that the dipeptide isomer facilitates additional amide bond formation events, yielding authentic tri- through hexapeptides. We propose that the interface of aqueous microdroplets serves as a drying surface that shifts the equilibrium between free amino acids in favor of dehydration via stabilization of the dipeptide isomers. These findings offer a possible solution to the water paradox of biopolymer synthesis in prebiotic chemistry.
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Ju Y, Zhang H, Wang W, Liu Q, Yu K, Kan G, Liu L, Jiang J. Aqueous-Microdroplet-Driven Abiotic Synthesis of Ribonucleotides. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:567-573. [PMID: 35014840 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.1c03486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Phosphorylation for ribonucleotide formation is a critical step in the origin of life but has had limited success due to the thermodynamic and kinetic constraints in aqueous media. Here, we report that the production of ribonucleotides from ribonucleosides in the presence of monopotassium phosphate (KH2PO4) spontaneously proceeded in aqueous microdroplets under ambient conditions and without using a catalyst. A full set of ribonucleotides including adenosine monophosphate (AMP), guanosine monophosphate (GMP), uridine monophosphate (UMP), and cytidine monophosphate (CMP) were generated on the scale of a few milliseconds. The aqueous microdroplets could transfer the ribonucleotides to oligoribonucleotides and showed mutual compatibility for individual phosphorylation. Conditions established the dependence of the conversion ratio on the droplet size and suggested that the condensation reactions occurred at or near the microdroplets' surface. This aqueous microdroplet approach also provides a route for elucidating phosphorylation chemistry in the prebiotic era.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Ju
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150090, China
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150001, China
| | - Hong Zhang
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150090, China
| | - Wenxin Wang
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150090, China
| | - Qianhui Liu
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
| | - Kai Yu
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150090, China
| | - Guangfeng Kan
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150090, China
| | - Lijuan Liu
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
| | - Jie Jiang
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150090, China
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150001, China
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Wang W, Zhang H, Jiang J, He Y, He J, Liu J, Yu K, Liu Q, Qiao L. Thin interfacial film spontaneously produces hydrogen peroxide: mechanism and application for perfluorooctanoic acid degradation. NEW J CHEM 2022. [DOI: 10.1039/d1nj04791d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
We have unambiguously demonstrated spontaneous formation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in thin film formats by evaporating almost all the water and its effective for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) degradation without catalysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenxin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150090, China
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
| | - Hong Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150090, China
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
| | - Jie Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150090, China
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
| | - Yuwei He
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
| | - Jing He
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150090, China
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
| | - Junyu Liu
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
| | - Kai Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150090, China
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
| | - Qianhui Liu
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
| | - Lina Qiao
- Marine College, Shandong University (Weihai), Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
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