Abstract

MICHAELIAN, Karo  and  RODRIGUEZ, Oscar. Prebiotic fatty acid vesicles through photochemical dissipative structuring. Rev Cub Quim [online]. 2019, vol.31, n.3, pp. 354-370. ISSN 2224-5421.

We describe the photochemical dissipative structuring of fatty acids from CO and CO2 saturated water under the solar ultraviolet (UVC and UVB) photon potential prevalent at Earth's surface during the Archean. Their association into vesicles and their subsequent association with other fundamental molecules of life such as RNA, DNA and carotenoids to form the first protocells is also suggested to occur through photochemical dissipative structuring. In particular, it is postulated that the first vesicles were formed from conjugated linolenic (C18:3n-3) and parinaric (C18:4n-3) acids which would form vesicles stable at the high temperatures (~85 °C) and the somewhat acidic pH values (6.0-6.5) of the Archean ocean surface, resistant to divalent cation salt flocculation, permeable to ions and small charged molecules, but impermeable to short DNA and RNA, and, most importantly, highly dissipative in the prevailing UVC and UVB regions.

Keywords : Fatty acids; vesicles; dissipative structuring; origin of life; protocells.

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