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An experimental study of the thermolysis of hydrogen cyanide: the role of hydrothermal systems in chemical evolution

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 July 2020

Saúl A. Villafañe-Barajas ,
María Colín-García Open the ORCID record for María Colín-García [Opens in a new window] ,
Alicia Negrón-Mendoza  and
Marta Ruiz-Bermejo
Saúl A. Villafañe-Barajas
Affiliation:
Posgrado en Ciencias de la Tierra, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Cd. Mx, México
María Colín-García*
Affiliation:
Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Cd. Mx, México
Alicia Negrón-Mendoza
Affiliation:
Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Cd. Mx, México
Marta Ruiz-Bermejo
Affiliation:
Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC). Dpto. Evolución Molecular, Ctra. Torrejón-Ajalvir, km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz, 28850Madrid, Spain
*
Author for correspondence: María Colín-García, E-mail: mcolin@geologia.unam.mx
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Abstract

Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is considered a fundamental molecule in prebiotic chemistry experiments due to the fact that it could have an important role as raw material to form more complex molecules, as well as it could be an intermediate molecule in chemical reactions. However, the primitive scenarios in which this molecule might be available have been widely discussed. Hydrothermal systems have been considered as abiotic reactors and ideal niches for chemical evolution. Nevertheless, several experiments have shown that high temperatures and pressures could be adverse to the stability of organic molecules. Thus, it is necessary to carry out systematic experiments to study the synthesis, stability and fate of organic molecules in hydrothermal scenarios. In this work, we performed experiments focused on the stability and fate of HCN under a simple hydrothermal system scenario: the thermolysis of HCN at 100°C, at acidic and basic pH and in the presence of Mg-montmorillonite. Furthermore, we analysed the products from HCN thermolysis and highlighted the role of these chemical species as prebiotic molecules under a hydrothermal scenario.

Keywords

Chemical evolutionhydrogen cyanidehydrothermal ventsprebiotic chemistrystabilitythermolysis
Type
Research Article
Information
International Journal of Astrobiology , Volume 19 , Issue 5 , October 2020 , pp. 369 - 378
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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