Acyl silicates and acyl aluminates as activated intermediates in peptide formation on clays

Glycine reacts with heating on dried clays and other minerals to give peptides in much better yield than in the absence of mineral. This reaction was proposed to occur by way of an activated intermediate such as an acyl silicate or acyl aluminate (i.e., the anhydride of a carboxylic acid with Si-OH or Al-OH), analogous to acyl phosphates involved in several biochemical reactions including peptide bond synthesis. We confirmed the proposed mechanism by trapping the intermediate, as well as by direct spectroscopic observation of a related intermediate. The reaction of amino acids on periodically dried mineral surfaces represents a widespread, geologically realistic setting for prebiotic peptide formation via in situ activation.