title: Abiotic synthesis of guanine with high-temperature plasma.
abstract: The origin of guanine has been unknown, though there are some reports concerning its abiotic synthesis. We show here that guanine, as well as uracil and cytosine, are synthesized from a 90%N2-10%CO-H2O gas mixture via a complex organic product produced with the high-temperature and rapid quenching technique. This result implies that a large amount of complex organic matter including precursors of bioorganic compounds might have been produced on the primitive earth after cometary impacts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering, Yokohama National University, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan. SMIYAKAWA@aol.com
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miyakawa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Murasawa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Sawaoka
mesh_terms: D002248:Carbon Monoxide; D019418:Evolution, Chemical; D006147:Guanine / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D006358:Hot Temperature; D009584:Nitrogen; D000069497:Origin of Life; D013816:Thermodynamics; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D014867:Water; D006147:Guanine; D002248:Carbon Monoxide; D009584:Nitrogen