The stability of amino acids at submarine hydrothermal vent temperatures.
It has been postulated that amino acid stability at hydrothermal vent temperatures is controlled by a metastable thermodynamic equilibrium rather than by kinetics.  Experiments reported here demonstrate that the amino acids are irreversibly destroyed by heating at 240 degrees C and that quasi-equilibrium calculations give misleading descriptions of the experimental observations.  Equilibrium thermodynamic calculations are not applicable to organic compounds under high-temperature submarine vent conditions.
Bada
J L
JL
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla 92093, USA.
Miller
S L
SL
Zhao
M
M
D000409:Alanine / Q000737:chemistry*; D003653:Decarboxylation; D005021:Ethylamines / Q000737:chemistry*; D005998:Glycine / Q000737:chemistry*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D007536:Isomerism; D007930:Leucine / Q000737:chemistry*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D012623:Seawater; D013816:Thermodynamics; D014867:Water
D005021:Ethylamines; D014867:Water; D007930:Leucine; D000409:Alanine; D005998:Glycine; C041564:ethylamine