title: The sugar model: autocatalytic activity of the triose-ammonia reaction.
abstract: Reaction of triose sugars with ammonia under anaerobic conditions yielded autocatalytic products. The autocatalytic behavior of the products was examined by measuring the effect of the crude triose-ammonia reaction product on the kinetics of a second identical triose-ammonia reaction. The reaction product showed autocatalytic activity by increasing both the rate of disappearance of triose and the rate of formation of pyruvaldehyde, the product of triose dehydration. This synthetic process is considered a reasonable model of origin-of-life chemistry because it uses plausible prebiotic substrates, and resembles modern biosynthesis by employing the energized carbon groups of sugars to drive the synthesis of autocatalytic molecules.
authors.affiliation: SETI Institute, NASA Ames Research Center, Mail Stop 239-4, Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000, USA. aweber@mail.arc.nasa.gov
authors.forename: Arthur L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Weber
mesh_terms: D000641:Ammonia / Q000737:chemistry*; D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry; D002384:Catalysis; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007477:Ions; D015416:Maillard Reaction; D008956:Models, Chemical; D000069497:Origin of Life; D011765:Pyruvaldehyde / Q000737:chemistry*; D000644:Quaternary Ammonium Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D019346:Sodium Acetate / Q000737:chemistry; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors; D014306:Trioses / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D007477:Ions; D000644:Quaternary Ammonium Compounds; D014306:Trioses; D019346:Sodium Acetate; D011765:Pyruvaldehyde; D002244:Carbon; D000641:Ammonia