Center for Materials of the Universe, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287;
School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 Jan 12;118(2). doi: 10.1073/pnas.2021117118.
Modern technology has perfected the synthesis of catalysts such as zeolites and mesoporous silicas using organic structure directing agents (SDA) and their industrial use to catalyze a large variety of organic reactions within their pores. We suggest that early in prebiotic evolution, synergistic interplay arose between organic species in aqueous solution and silica formed from rocks by dynamic dissolution-recrystallization. The natural organics, for example, amino acids, small peptides, and fatty acids, acted as SDA for assembly of functional porous silica structures that induced further polymerization of amino acids and peptides, as well as other organic reactions. Positive feedback between synthesis and catalysis in the silica-organic system may have accelerated the early stages of abiotic evolution by increasing the formation of polymerized species.
现代技术已经完善了沸石和介孔硅等催化剂的合成，使用有机结构导向剂（SDA），并将其工业应用于在其孔内催化各种有机反应。我们认为，在原始生命进化的早期，水溶液中的有机物种与由岩石通过动态溶解-再结晶形成的二氧化硅之间就出现了协同相互作用。例如，天然有机物，如氨基酸、小肽和脂肪酸，充当 SDA，用于组装功能性多孔硅结构，从而诱导氨基酸和肽的进一步聚合以及其他有机反应。硅-有机体系中合成和催化之间的正反馈可能通过增加聚合物种的形成加速了非生物进化的早期阶段。
