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Updated: May 1, 2026

Simulation of Early Earth Hydrothermal Chimneys in a Thermal Gradient Environment
Published on: February 27, 2021
Borophosphates and silicophosphates as plausible contributors to the emergence of life
José A L da Silva1, Nils G Holm2
1Centro de Química Estrutural, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal.
Abstract:
Scientific explanations for the origin of life are incomplete and may differ on some issues. Here, we argue that some prebiological steps have occurred in environments with borophosphates and/or silicophosphates in the form of hydrogels, on the basis of their chemical groups and structural properties. These could have decreased the diffusion rate of some prebiotic molecules, stabilized molecules with vicinal cis-diol groups, reduced the hydrolytic activity of water and inserted catalytic metal ions into their networks. Additionally, these hydrogels could have acted as reaction media, supplied a phosphate source for phosphorylations and produced crystals that may have permitted enantiomeric enrichment of prebiotic molecules, thus providing conditions for the emergence of protocells.
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