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Adsorption of nucleic acid bases on magnesium oxide (MgO)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 October 2012

Teresa Fornaro ,
John Robert Brucato ,
Sergio Branciamore  and
Amaranta Pucci
Teresa Fornaro
Affiliation:
INAF – Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, L.go E. Fermi 5, 50125 Firenze, Italy
John Robert Brucato*
Affiliation:
INAF – Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, L.go E. Fermi 5, 50125 Firenze, Italy
Sergio Branciamore
Affiliation:
INAF – Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, L.go E. Fermi 5, 50125 Firenze, Italy
Amaranta Pucci
Affiliation:
INAF – Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, L.go E. Fermi 5, 50125 Firenze, Italy
*
e-mail: jbrucato@arcetri.astro.it
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Abstract

The adsorption of organic molecules on mineral matrices might have played a fundamental role in processes that led to the emergence of life. We investigated the adsorption properties of the nucleobases adenine, cytosine, uracil and hypoxanthine on magnesium oxide (MgO), determining the single solute batch equilibrium adsorption isotherms. Langmuir-type isotherms were fitted to data, assuming a rapid reversible equilibration of adsorption, demonstrated effectively through desorption experiments. The Langmuir equilibrium adsorption constant K and the amount of the solute per unit of adsorbent mass necessary to complete the monolayer b were calculated. The results indicate that MgO is a good adsorbent for nucleobases (adenine > uracil > hypoxantine > cytosine), suggesting a role of metal oxides in concentrating biomolecules in prebiotic conditions that might have favoured the passage from geochemistry to biochemistry.

Keywords

nucleobasesmagnesium oxidemineral adsorptionprebiotic chemistryorigin of life
Type
Research Article
Information
International Journal of Astrobiology , Volume 12 , Issue 1 , January 2013 , pp. 78 - 86
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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