Adsorption of HCN onto sodium montmorillonite dependent on the pH as a component to chemical evolution

The aim of this work is to study the behaviour of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) adsorbed onto mineral surfaces (sodium montmorillonite, a clay mineral) in different pH environments as a possible prebiotic process for complexation of organics. Our experimental results show that specific sites on the surface...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational journal of astrobiology Vol. 13; no. 4; pp. 310 - 318
Main Authors Colin-Garcia, M., Heredia, A., Negron-Mendoza, A., Ortega, F., Pi, T., Ramos-Bernal, S.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.10.2014
Subjects
Adsorption
Astrobiology
Chemical interactions
Clay
Evolution
Minerals
Montmorillonite
Sodium
Sorption
pH
adsorption
HCN
theoretical modelling
sodium montmorillonite
prebiotic processes
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Summary:The aim of this work is to study the behaviour of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) adsorbed onto mineral surfaces (sodium montmorillonite, a clay mineral) in different pH environments as a possible prebiotic process for complexation of organics. Our experimental results show that specific sites on the surface of the clay increased the concentration of HCN molecules dependent on the pH values. Moreover, this adsorption can occur through physical and chemical interactions enhanced by the channel structure of the sodium montmorillonite. The three-dimensional channelling structure of the clay accumulates the organics, hindering the releasing (desorption) of the organic molecules. A molecular model developed here also confirms the role of the pH as a regulating factor in the adsorption of HCN onto the inorganic surfaces and the possibility for further reactions forming more complex molecules, as an abiotic mechanism important in prebiotic chemical evolution processes.
ISSN:1473-5504
1475-3006
DOI:10.1017/S1473550414000111