title: Interaction of ribonucleotides with metal hexacyanocobaltate(III): a possible role in chemical evolution.
abstract: It has been proposed that metal cyanide complexes would have acted as effective prebiotic catalysts. Insoluble metal cyanide complexes could have concentrated biomonomers from the dilute prebiotic soup, facilitating certain prebiotic reactions. In the light of the above hypothesis, interaction of four ribonucleotides, namely 5'-AMP, 5'-GMP, 5'-CMP, and 5'-UMP with copper(II)- and cadmium(II) hexacyanocobaltate(III) has been studied. The interaction was found to be maximum at neutral pH. 5'-GMP showed greater interaction with both the metal hexacyanocobaltate(III) while copper(II) hexacyanocobaltate(III) showed greater uptake than cadmium(II) hexacyanocobaltate(III) for all the four ribonucleotides studied. Infrared spectral studies of ribonucleotides, metal hexacyanocobaltate(III) and ribonucleotide - metal hexacyanocobaltate(III) adducts indicated that the nitrogen base and phosphate moiety of ribonucleotides interact with outer divalent metal ion present in the lattice of metal hexacyanocobaltate(III).
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, 247 667, India.
authors.forename: Shah Raj
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.lastname: Kamaluddin
mesh_terms: D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis; D003035:Cobalt / Q000737:chemistry*; D003486:Cyanides / Q000737:chemistry*; D019418:Evolution, Chemical; D006859:Hydrogen / Q000032:analysis; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000737:chemistry; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis; D000069497:Origin of Life; D012265:Ribonucleotides / Q000737:chemistry*; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D013818:Thermogravimetry; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D003486:Cyanides; D019216:Metals, Heavy; D012265:Ribonucleotides; C027033:hexacyanocobaltate (III); D003035:Cobalt; D002244:Carbon; D006859:Hydrogen; D009584:Nitrogen