Microfluidic Production of Pyrophosphate Catalyzed by Mineral Membranes with Steep pH Gradients |
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Authors: | Qingpu Wang Dr Laura M Barge Prof Oliver Steinbock |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, 32306-4390 USA;2. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 91109 USA |
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Abstract: | Pyrophosphate might have functioned as an energy storage/currency molecule on early Earth, essential for the emergence of life. Here we synthesized mineral membranes involving iron(II), iron(III), and other divalent metal cations (calcium, manganese, cobalt, copper, zinc, and nickel) and tested their ability to catalyze the formation of pyrophosphate from phosphate and acetyl phosphate across steep pH gradients in microfluidic devices. We studied the chemical compositions of the precipitate membranes (which included vivianite, goethite, and green rust) using in situ and ex situ micro-Raman spectroscopy. The yields of pyrophosphate were determined by aqueous 31P NMR spectroscopy. We found that Fe2+ and Ca2+ were the best catalysts for pyrophosphate synthesis among investigated ions; Fe3+ and mixed-valence iron membranes were also able to promote pyrophosphate formation. In addition, the pH gradients across the membranes affected the pyrophosphate yields and the smallest pH gradient resulted in the highest yield. These results suggest a possible route of substrate phosphorylation in prebiotic hydrothermal systems. |
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Keywords: | catalysis microfluidics origins of life prebiotic chemistry pyrophosphate |
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