title: Prebiotic organic microstructures.
abstract: Micro- and sub-micrometer spheres, tubules and fiber-filament soft structures have been synthesized in our experiments conducted with 3 MeV proton irradiations of a mixture of simple inorganic constituents, CO, N(2) and H(2)O. We analysed the irradiation products, with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). These laboratory organic structures produced a wide variety of proteinaceous and non-proteinaceous amino acids after HCl hydrolysis. The enantiomer analysis for D,L-alanine confirmed that the amino acids were abiotically synthesized during the laboratory experiment. We discuss the presence of CO(2) and the production of H(2) during exothermic processes of serpentinization and consequently we discuss the production of hydrothermal CO in a ferromagnesian silicate mineral environment. We also discuss the low intensity of the Earth's magnetic field during the Paleoarchaean Era and consequently we conclude that excitation sources arising from cosmic radiation were much more abundant during this Era. We then show that our laboratory prebiotic microstructures might be synthesized during the Archaean Eon, as a product of the serpentinization process of the rocks and of their mineral contents.
authors.affiliation: Département Chimie, Université de Strasbourg, 72 route du Rhin, 67400 Illkirch, France. marie-paule.bassez@unistra.fr
authors.forename: Marie-Paule
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Bassez
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takano
authors.forename: Kensei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000737:chemistry; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D018534:Earth, Planet; D006851:Hydrochloric Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D006859:Hydrogen / Q000737:chemistry; D006868:Hydrolysis; D060526:Magnetic Fields; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000737:chemistry*; D011312:Pressure; D013696:Temperature; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D014867:Water; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D002248:Carbon Monoxide; D006859:Hydrogen; D006851:Hydrochloric Acid