Schwartz A W
Evolutionary Biology Research Group, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Orig Life Evol Biosph. 1997 Dec;27(5-6):505-12. doi: 10.1023/a:1006536817887.
The available evidence indicates that the origin of life on Earth certainly occurred earlier than 3.5 billion years ago and perhaps substantially earlier. The time available for the chemical evolution which must have preceded this event is more difficult to estimate. Both endogenic and exogenic contributions to chemical evolution have been considered; i.e., from chemical reactions in a primitive atmosphere, or by introduction in the interiors of comets and/or meteorites. It is argued, however, that the phosphorus chemistry of Earth's earliest hydrosphere, whether primarily exogenic or endogenic in origin, was most likely dominated by compounds less oxidized than phosphoric acid and its esters. A scenario is presented for the early production of a suite of reactive phosphonic acid derivatives, the properties of which may have foreshadowed the later appearance of biophosphates.
现有证据表明，地球上生命的起源肯定早于35亿年前，甚至可能更早得多。在此事件之前必然发生的化学进化可用时间更难估计。人们已经考虑了化学进化的内源性和外源性贡献；也就是说，来自原始大气中的化学反应，或者通过彗星和/或陨石内部的引入。然而，有人认为，地球最早水圈的磷化学，无论其主要起源是外源性还是内源性，很可能由比磷酸及其酯类氧化程度更低的化合物主导。本文提出了一套反应性膦酸衍生物早期产生的设想，其性质可能预示了后来生物磷酸盐的出现。
