Abstract
A composition of moderately volatile organics has been analyzed by chromatography/mass spectrometry in 11 hydrothermal systems of Kamchatka Peninsula and nearby area. The lifeless condensate of water–steam mixture (T = 108–175 °C) contains 69 organic compounds of 11 homologous series, while organic matter from the hot springs inhabited by microorganisms (T = 55–98 °C) consists of 111 compounds belonging to 14 homologous series. Integrating our data with the results obtained by other research teams (led by Mukhin and Isidorov), in total 243 compounds of 24 homologous series have been detected in the explored hydrothermal systems. This list of compounds includes important prebiotic components—nitrogen-containing compounds (amino acids, nitriles, amides, and nitrogen cycles) and lipid precursors (carboxylic acids, esters, alcohols, aldehydes, etc.). A separate organic phase represented by oil drops in Uzon hydrothermal system is the youngest in the world (1030 ± 40 years). The given experimental data support the offered inversion scenario of the origin of life on Earth. The proposed composition of initial self-assembled aggregates from the high-temperature prebiotic zone (T > 100 °C) correlates with the components actually detected in the lifeless condensate: lipid precursors, hydrocarbons, and simple amino acids (glycine). The lower-temperature biotic zone (T ≈ 100 °C and below) at present is occupied by thermophiles and products of their destruction; but some facts suppose a certain contribution of abiogenic organic components here.
Published Version
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