Prebiotic synthesis of amino acids from formaldehyde and hydroxylamine in a modified sea medium

In the course of a study of a possible mechanism for chemical evolution in the primeval sea, we have found a novel reaction for peptide formation from glycine and urea in an aqueous solution. Glycine reacted with urea to give N-carbamylglycine, N-carbamylglycylglycine and glycylglycine. This reaction provides a new pathway for the prebiotic synthesis of peptides.