Geosciences Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, 8615 Kennel Way, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Apr 5;108(14):5526-31. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1019191108. Epub 2011 Mar 21.
Archived samples from a previously unreported 1958 Stanley Miller electric discharge experiment containing hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) were recently discovered and analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography and time-of-flight mass spectrometry. We report here the detection and quantification of primary amine-containing compounds in the original sample residues, which were produced via spark discharge using a gaseous mixture of H(2)S, CH(4), NH(3), and CO(2). A total of 23 amino acids and 4 amines, including 7 organosulfur compounds, were detected in these samples. The major amino acids with chiral centers are racemic within the accuracy of the measurements, indicating that they are not contaminants introduced during sample storage. This experiment marks the first synthesis of sulfur amino acids from spark discharge experiments designed to imitate primordial environments. The relative yield of some amino acids, in particular the isomers of aminobutyric acid, are the highest ever found in a spark discharge experiment. The simulated primordial conditions used by Miller may serve as a model for early volcanic plume chemistry and provide insight to the possible roles such plumes may have played in abiotic organic synthesis. Additionally, the overall abundances of the synthesized amino acids in the presence of H(2)S are very similar to the abundances found in some carbonaceous meteorites, suggesting that H(2)S may have played an important role in prebiotic reactions in early solar system environments.
最近，从一个以前未报道过的 1958 年斯坦利·米勒电火花实验的存档样本中发现并分析了含有硫化氢（H(2)S）的样本。我们在这里报告了在原始样品残留物中检测和定量含伯胺化合物的情况，这些化合物是通过使用 H(2)S、CH(4)、NH(3)和 CO(2)的混合气体进行火花放电产生的。在这些样品中检测到了 23 种氨基酸和 4 种胺，包括 7 种有机硫化合物。具有手性中心的主要氨基酸在测量精度内是外消旋的，这表明它们不是在样品储存过程中引入的污染物。这项实验标志着首次从火花放电实验中合成了硫氨基酸，这些实验旨在模拟原始环境。一些氨基酸的相对产量，特别是氨基丁酸的异构体，在火花放电实验中是迄今为止发现的最高的。米勒使用的模拟原始条件可能是早期火山羽流化学的模型，并为这些羽流在非生物有机合成中可能扮演的角色提供了启示。此外，在 H(2)S 存在下合成氨基酸的总体丰度与一些碳质陨石中发现的丰度非常相似，这表明 H(2)S 可能在早期太阳系环境中的前生物反应中发挥了重要作用。
