Prebiotic Amino Acids as Asymmetric Catalysts

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 303; no. 5661; p. 1151
• Main Authors: Pizzarello, Sandra, Weber, Arthur L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Association for the Advancement of Science 20.02.2004; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Acetaldehyde - analogs & derivatives; Acetaldehyde - chemistry; Aerospace Education; Alanine - chemistry; Aldehydes; Amino acids; Amino Acids - chemistry; Amino sugars; Astronomy; Brevia; Catalysis; Catalysts; Catalytic reactions; Chemical compounds; Chemical properties; Chemistry; Chirality; Condensation; Earth, ocean, space; Evolution, Chemical; Exact sciences and technology; Extraterrestrial life and intelligence; Formaldehyde - chemistry; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; General and physical chemistry; History; Hydrogen; Hydrogen Bonding; Imines; Life (Biology); Meteoroids; Molecules; Organic Chemistry; Origin of Life; Prebiotics; Schiff Bases; Stereoisomerism; Technical Assistance; Tetroses; Tetroses - chemical synthesis; Tetroses - chemistry; Theory of reactions, general kinetics. Catalysis. Nomenclature, chemical documentation, computer chemistry; Valine - chemistry; Water; United States; Catalytic reaction; Synthesis; Aldose; Catalysts; Origin of life; Alanines; Amino acids; Chiral compound; Aldehydes; Asymmetric catalysis; Formaldehyde; Aldol condensation
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1093057

Carbonaceous meteorites contain amino acids displaying asymmetry that has the same sign as terrestrial amino acids, thus, it is reasonable to ask whether these chiral compounds, acquired upon delivery to the early Eath, could have played a role in the origin of homochirality by transferring their asymmetry to other prebiotic building blocks, such as sugars. To assess this possibility, Pizzarello and Weber examined the catalytic influence of two nonracemic amino acids, alanine, and isovaline, on a water-based prebiotic model for sugar syntheses from glycolaldehyde and formaldehyde.