Polymerization of amino acids under primitive earth conditions.

Abstract

Chemical evolution on the primitive earth must have involved the condensation ofα-amino acids to peptides under a variety of conditions. Subjecting a mixture of methane, ammonia, and water to an electric discharge in the presence of free amino acids yields small peptides. The dehydration-condensation may have taken place via ammonium cyanide, the hydrogen cyanide tetramer, or aminonitriles. The experiments may be considered genuinely prebiotic and significant in the context of chemical evolution.