Prebiotic fatty acid vesicles through photochemical dissipative structuring

We describe the photochemical dissipative structuring of fatty acids from CO and CO2 saturated water under the solar ultraviolet (UVC and UVB) photon potential prevalent at Earth's surface during the Archean. Their association into vesicles and their subsequent association with other fundamenta...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Karo Michaelian, Oscar Rodríguez
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2019
País:México
Institución:Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Repositorio:Redalyc-UNAM
OAI Identifier:oai:redalyc.org:443561090004
Acceso en línea:https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=443561090004
https://www.redalyc.org/journal/4435/443561090004/
https://www.redalyc.org/journal/4435/443561090004/html/
https://www.redalyc.org/journal/4435/443561090004/443561090004.epub
https://www.redalyc.org/journal/4435/443561090004/movil
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Química
vesicles
protocells
Fatty acids
origin of life
dissipative structuring
Descripción
Sumario:We describe the photochemical dissipative structuring of fatty acids from CO and CO2 saturated water under the solar ultraviolet (UVC and UVB) photon potential prevalent at Earth's surface during the Archean. Their association into vesicles and their subsequent association with other fundamental molecules of life such as RNA, DNA and carotenoids to form the first protocells is also suggested to occur through photochemical dissipative structuring. In particular, it is postulated that the first vesicles were formed from conjugated linolenic (C18:3n-3) and parinaric (C18:4n-3) acids which would form vesicles stable at the high temperatures (~85 °C) and the somewhat acidic pH values (6.0-6.5) of the Archean ocean surface, resistant to divalent cation salt flocculation, permeable to ions and small charged molecules, but impermeable to short DNA and RNA, and, most importantly, highly dissipative in the prevailing UVC and UVB regions.