BI110 Chapter Notes - Chapter 73: Hydrogen Sulfide, Reducing Atmosphere, Ribose
Document Summary
Atmosphere of earth around 4. 2 bya was probably primarily made of co2 and n2: volcanic eruptions contributed methane, ammonia, and hydrogen sulfide. As planet cooled, water vapor in atmosphere condensed and formed seas: most hydrogen escaped into space. Haldane & oparane (1920s: hypothesized early earth might have had a reducing atmosphere that could"ve created organic molecules, haldane called it the primitive soup . Miller & urey (1953: tried to replicate atmospheric conditions of early earth to find out how life could"ve begun. Found that simple chemicals could"ve changed into complex organic molecules (ex. Amino acids: recent evidence shows that early atmosphere was mostly nitrogen and carbon dioxide; making it closer to neutral. Hydrothermal vents: found on ocean floor. Arise near volcanoes or where tectonic plates are moving apart. Process used to fix co2 and produce atp is similar to pathway of. Rna mitochondria: formation requires both ribose and phosphate.
