The Prebiotic Synthesis of Acrolein |
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Authors: | Henderson J Cleaves II |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0506, USA, US |
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Abstract: | Summary. Acrolein is a central intermediate in the prebiotic synthesis of several amino acids, pentaerythritol, as well as various
postulated alternative genetic materials. Acrolein is highly reactive so that its steady-state concentration could not have
been very high. The ease of synthesis of acrolein from the aqueous aldol condensation of acetaldehyde and formaldehyde was
therefore of interest. It is shown here that acrolein is produced in a low, but significant, steady-state concentration from
very dilute solutions of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde under neutral to basic conditions. Acrolein is produced under conditions
that are too dilute for the oligomerization of formaldehyde to produce carbohydrates. The implications of these findings for
prebiotic chemical evolution are discussed.
Corresponding author. E-mail: hcleaves@ucsd.edu
Received June 18, 2002; accepted July 9, 2002 |
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Keywords: | , Acrolein, Aldol reactions, High pressure liquid chromatography, Prebiotic chemistry, |
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