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Primordial Carbonylated Iron-Sulfur Compounds and the Synthesis of Pyruvate
George D. Cody,*Nabil Z. Boctor,Timothy R. Filley,Robert M. Hazen,James H. Scott,Anurag Sharma,Hatten S. Yoder Jr.
Experiments exploring the potential catalytic role of
iron sulfide at 250°C and elevated pressures (50, 100, and 200 megapascals)revealed a facile, pressure-enhanced synthesis of
organometallicphases formed through the reaction of alkyl thiols and
carbonmonoxide with iron sulfide. A suite of organometallic compoundswere characterized with ultraviolet-visible and Raman spectroscopy.The
natural synthesis of such compounds is anticipated in present-dayand
ancient environments wherever reduced hydrothermal fluidspass through
iron sulfide-containing crust. Here, pyruvic acidwas
synthesized in the presence of such organometallic phases.These
compounds could have provided the prebiotic Earth with criticalbiochemical functionality.
Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5251 Broad Branch Road, NW, Washington, DC 20015, USA.
*
To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Biomarker Evidence for a Major Preservation Pathway of Sedimentary Organic Carbon.
Y. Hebting, P. Schaeffer, A. Behrens, P. Adam, G. Schmitt, P. Schneckenburger, S. M. Bernasconi, and P. Albrecht (2006)
Science
312, 1627-1631
|Abstract »|Full Text »|PDF »
Light-Regulated, Tissue-Specific, and Cell Differentiation-Specific Expression of the Arabidopsis Fe(III)-Chelate Reductase Gene AtFRO6.
H. Feng, F. An, S. Zhang, Z. Ji, H.-Q. Ling, and J. Zuo (2006)
Plant Physiology
140, 1345-1354
|Abstract »|Full Text »|PDF »
Crystal Structure of the Free Radical Intermediate of Pyruvate:Ferredoxin Oxidoreductase.
E. Chabriere, X. Vernede, B. Guigliarelli, M.-H. Charon, E. C. Hatchikian, and J. C. Fontecilla-Camps (2001)
Science
294, 2559-2563
|Abstract »|Full Text »|PDF »
Special Feature: Possible ecosystems and the search for life on Europa.
C. F. Chyba and C. B. Phillips (2001)
PNAS
98, 801-804
|Full Text »|PDF »
