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The Nature of the Spark Is a Pivotal Element in the Design of a Miller–Urey Experiment.
- Source :
-
Life (2075-1729) . Nov2023, Vol. 13 Issue 11, p2201. 15p. - Publication Year :
- 2023
-
Abstract
- Miller and Urey applied electric sparks to a reducive mixture of CH4, NH3, and water to obtain a complex organic mixture including biomolecules. In this study, we examined the impact of temperature, initial pressure, ammonia concentration, and the spark generator on the chemical profile of a Miller–Urey-type prebiotic broth. We analyzed the broth composition using Gas Chromatography combined with Mass Spectroscopy (GC/MS). The results point towards strong compositional changes with the nature of the spark. Ammonia exhibited catalytic properties even with non-nitrogen-containing compounds. A more elevated temperature led to a higher variety of substances. We conclude that to reproduce such a broth as well as possible, all the studied parameters need to be tightly controlled, the most difficult and important being spark generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 20751729
- Volume :
- 13
- Issue :
- 11
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Life (2075-1729)
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 173865520
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3390/life13112201