Phosphorylation in liquid sulfur dioxide under prebiotically plausible conditions

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Astrobiology
• Organic Chemistry

Background:

• Organophosphates are essential biomolecules involved in energy transfer, information storage, and structural roles.
• Previous methods for organophosphate synthesis required harsh conditions like high temperatures and multiple steps, limiting their relevance to early Earth environments.
• The formation of organophosphates in prebiotic conditions is a key question in abiogenesis research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate a novel method for efficient organophosphate formation under mild conditions.
• To explore the potential of liquid sulfur dioxide as a solvent and oxidant for prebiotic chemistry.
• To assess the formation of nucleoside phosphates, dinucleotides, and amino acids in a single reaction step.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing liquid sulfur dioxide as a solvent and oxidant at room temperature.
• Reacting phosphorous acid with organic compounds to form organophosphates.
• Analyzing reaction products using analytical chemistry techniques.

Main Results:

• Achieved up to 32.6% yield of 5' nucleoside monophosphate and 3.6% yield of 5' nucleoside diphosphate.
• Observed the formation of nucleoside triphosphates and dinucleotides in a single reaction step.
• Demonstrated the formation of diserine, an amino acid precursor.

Conclusions:

• Liquid sulfur dioxide facilitates efficient organophosphate formation at room temperature, offering a plausible mechanism for prebiotic synthesis.
• Volcanic environments, with liquid sulfur dioxide, are proposed as potential sites for early biopolymer formation on Earth.
• The described method is also promising for applications in modern synthesis chemistry due to sulfur dioxide's recyclability.