Salinity and pH affect Na+-montmorillonite dissolution and amino acid adsorption: a prebiotic chemistry study

Abstract

AbstractThe adsorption of amino acids onto minerals in prebiotic seas may have played an important role for their protection against hydrolysis and formation of polymers. In this study, we show that the adsorption of the prebiotic amino acids, glycine (Gly), α-alanine (α-Ala) and β-alanine (β-Ala), onto Na+-montmorillonite was dependent on salinity and pH. Specifically, adsorption decreased from 58.3–88.8 to 0–48.9% when salinity was increased from 10 to 100–150% of modern seawater. This result suggests reduced amino acid adsorption onto minerals in prebiotic seas, which may have been even more saline than the tested conditions. Amino acids also formed complexes with metals in seawater, affecting metal adsorption onto Na+-montmorillonite, and amino acid adsorption was enhanced when added before Na+-montmorillonite was exposed to high saline solutions. Also, the dissolution of Na+-montmorillonite was reduced in the presence of amino acids, with β-Ala being the most effective. Thus, prebiotic chemistry experiments should also consider the integrity of minerals in addition to their adsorption capacity.