Organophosphonic acids are unique as natural products in terms of stability and mimicry.
The C–P bond that defines these compounds resists hydrolytic cleavage, while the …

Energy metabolism in extant life is centered around phosphate and the energy-dense
phosphoanhydride bonds of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a deeply conserved and ancient …

Before the origin of simple cellular life, the building blocks of RNA (nucleotides) had to form
and polymerize in favorable environments on early Earth. At this time, meteorites and …

Critical to the origin of life are the ingredients of life, of course, but also the physical and
chemical conditions in which prebiotic chemical reactions can take place. These factors …

When hydrated, phosphides such as the mineral schreibersite,(Fe, Ni) 3P, allow for the
synthesis of important phosphorus-bearing organic compounds. Such phosphides are …

While grounded in the hard sciences of physics, chemistry, geology, and astronomy, as well
as well-accepted principles in the life sciences, astrobiology remains the most speculative of …

Copper phosphide (Cu x P) was synthesized and tested for its reactivity for generating H2O2
through spontaneous reduction of dioxygen under ambient aqueous condition. The in situ …

Phosphorus is an element critical to the formation of several biomolecules, including nucleic
acids, the energy transfer molecule ATP, and phospholipids. It hence lies at the heart of …

The formation of organophosphate molecules by prebiotic processes relies on
nonenzymatic synthesis. Given the centrality of phosphorylated biomolecules in metabolic …

RNA is currently thought to have been the first biopolymer to support Darwinian natural
selection on Earth. However, the phosphate esters in RNA and its precursors, and the many …