Adsorption and polymerization of amino acids on mineral surfaces. Computational simulations of prebiotic processes

Abstract

An important step in prebiotic chemistry is how the elementary biomolecules were selected and assembled into the essential macromolecules of life. In 1949, biophysicist J. D. Bernal suggested that mineral surfaces may have promoted the polymerization of biomolecules since they can adsorb, immobilize and protect the biomonomers and catalyze the condensation reaction due to the surface active sites. Despite the experimental evidences supporting Bernal’s hypothesis, little is known on the reaction mechanisms at the surface of these materials. This article reviews our computational studies on the adsorption and polymerization of aminoacids on silica based materials.