Abstract
How did life arise from the prebiotic conditions of the early earth? This problem has vexed scientists for decades with no consensus on its solution. Significant spontaneous formation of biopolymers such as proteins and nucleic acids in the aqueous phase appears to be improbable due to thermodynamic constraints. It has been proposed that mineral surfaces could have served as a catalyst for the initial formation of biopolymers. However, the feasibility of this mechanism has not been thoroughly studied. In this study, a particle simulation of polypeptide formation on surfaces is developed to assess the feasibility of this mechanism. Elementary processes such as monomer adsorption, monomer and dimer diffusion, desorption, and peptide bond formation are included in the model. The production of long polymers that could serve as building blocks of proteins is considered as a function of bonding activation energy, polymer desorption energy, and the number of wet-dry cycles experienced by the surface.
Recommended Citation
Greene, Sylvia
(2024)
"Simulation of Polymerization on Surfaces: Implications for Abiogenesis,"
Macalester Journal of Physics and Astronomy: Vol. 12:
Iss.
1, Article 5.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/mjpa/vol12/iss1/5