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Hydrogen cyanide polymerization: a preferred cosmochemical pathway.

C N Matthews1

  • 1Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago 60680, USA.

Journal of the British Interplanetary Society
|January 1, 1992
PubMed
Summary
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Hydrogen cyanide polymerization is a low-energy pathway forming complex organic molecules in space. This process, yielding protein precursors, suggests carbon-based life may be common throughout the universe.

Area of Science:

  • Cosmochemistry
  • Astrobiology
  • Organic chemistry

Background:

  • High molecular weight organic solids form in diverse extraterrestrial environments.
  • A low-energy synthesis route for hydrogen cyanide and its polymers is key to this chemistry.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the universal process of heteropolypeptide formation from hydrogen cyanide polymers and water.
  • To assess the implications for the origin of life on Earth and elsewhere in the universe.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of laboratory experiments simulating extraterrestrial conditions.
  • Review of evidence from extraterrestrial investigations.

Main Results:

  • Hydrogen cyanide polymerization provides a universal pathway to heteropolypeptides.

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  • This process accounts for the synthesis of protein ancestors on Earth and ongoing reactions in space.
  • Such reactions are observed in our solar system, around other stars, and in interstellar clouds.

    • Conclusions:

    • The prevalence of hydrogen cyanide polymerization significantly increases the likelihood of widespread carbon-based life.
    • This pathway offers a unifying explanation for the origin of life's building blocks across the cosmos.