The Early Earth Atmosphere and Early Life Catalysts - The Metal-Driven Biogeochemistry of Gaseous Compounds in the Environment - page 13

acids and by D-sugars. Clays have also offered a catalytic surface beneficial to the
aggregation and preservation of the first biopolymers. Even when an extensive
number of experiments have validated these functions, the specific conditions
dominating the early Earth scenario are difficult to find in laboratory simulations.
Perhaps a definitive answer for the specific role of clays in the prebiotic chemistry
of the early Earth will never be found. Whether they offer an initial bias for
handedness or just a surface that preferentially favored the domination of handed-
ness on Earth, is a question that still requires further investigation.

Abbreviations

5'-AMP adenosine monophosphate

5'-ADP adenosine diphosphate

5'-ATP adenosine triphosphate

H 2 O v water vapor

Acknowledgment Support from the CONACyT grant 105450 is acknowledged.

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