title: Differential adsorption of nucleic acid bases: Relevance to the origin of life.
abstract: The adsorption of organic molecules onto the surfaces of inorganic solids has long been considered a process relevant to the origin of life. We have determined the equilibrium adsorption isotherms for the nucleic acid purine and pyrimidine bases dissolved in water on the surface of crystalline graphite. The markedly different adsorption behavior of the bases describes an elutropic series: guanine > adenine > hypoxanthine > thymine > cytosine > uracil. We propose that such differential properties were relevant to the prebiotic chemistry of the bases and may have influenced the composition of the primordial genetic architecture.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geology and Geochemistry, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Sowerby
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Cohn
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Heckl
authors.forename: N G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Holm
mesh_terms: D000225:Adenine / Q000737:chemistry; D000327:Adsorption; D003596:Cytosine / Q000737:chemistry; D006147:Guanine / Q000737:chemistry; D019271:Hypoxanthine / Q000737:chemistry; D000069497:Origin of Life; D011687:Purines / Q000737:chemistry*; D011743:Pyrimidines / Q000737:chemistry*; D012313:RNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D013499:Surface Properties; D013941:Thymine / Q000737:chemistry; D014498:Uracil / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D011687:Purines; D011743:Pyrimidines; D019271:Hypoxanthine; D014498:Uracil; D006147:Guanine; D012313:RNA; D003596:Cytosine; D000225:Adenine; D013941:Thymine