A recent study has found that deep-sea hydrothermal vents may have spontaneously produced molecules that are necessary for life.
The study, conducted by researchers at the University College London (UCL), suggests that the mineral particles found in hydrothermal vents possess similar chemical properties to those occurring in enzymes. The researchers found that hydrothermal vents can create molecules that are carbon-based – like formic acid and methanol – from dissolved carbon dioxide in water.
The study explains that the building blocks of organic chemistry were formed in nature before life started on the planet.
Nora de Leeuw, a professor at the UCL department of chemistry and lead author of the study, said there is a lot of speculation that early forms of life on Earth started from hydrothermal vents. Scientists suggest that carbon dioxide dissolved in water may have provided the carbon required for the chemical process of organisms.
Deep seas have an abundance of energy, due to turbulent and hot water. The latest research points at chemical properties, which encourage the emergence of life in hydrothermal vents.
Nathan Hollingsworth, a co-author of the study, reveals they found that crystal structures and surfaces in the hydrothermal vents also play a catalyst role, encouraging chemical reactions in material that settles on the vents.
"They behave much like enzymes do in living organisms, breaking down the bonds between carbon and oxygen atoms. This lets them combine with water to produce formic acid, acetic acid, methanol and pyruvic acid," said Hollingsworth. "Once you have simple carbon-based chemicals such as these, it opens the door to more complex carbon-based chemistry."
In 1977, scientists discovered the first hydrothermal vents while exploring ocean ridges near the Galapagos Islands. Despite the extreme environment in the deep-sea location, the scientists found many living organisms that were yet unknown to humans.
The researchers suggest that the study has significance reaching beyond theoretical applications. The findings of the study may lead to a method for developing carbon-based chemicals from carbon dioxide, circumventing the use of extreme heat or pressure. In the long run, it could replace oil as a "green" raw material to manufacture fuels, fertilizers and plastics using carbon dioxide. The positive implications for global warming could be tremendous.
This study was published in the journal Chemical Communications.
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