Synthesis of a sulfur-containing amino acid under simulated prebiotic conditions.
Ultraviolet irradiation of an aqueous solution of ammonium thiocyanate produces the sulfur-containing amino acid methionine. Synthesis of this class of biocompound fills another important gap in development of an overall picture of how prebiological chemistry may have evolved on primitive Earth.
D001345:Autoradiography; D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D002854:Chromatography, Paper; D008715:Methionine / Q000032:analysis / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D000644:Quaternary Ammonium Compounds / Q000528:radiation effects*; D011830:Radiation Effects; D012996:Solutions; D013861:Thiocyanates; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D000644:Quaternary Ammonium Compounds; D012996:Solutions; D013861:Thiocyanates; D008715:Methionine