Communications Chemistry (Feb 2023)

Formation, stabilization and fate of acetaldehyde and higher aldehydes in an autonomously changing prebiotic system emerging from acetylene

  • Philippe Diederich,
  • Thomas Geisberger,
  • Yingfei Yan,
  • Christian Seitz,
  • Alexander Ruf,
  • Claudia Huber,
  • Norbert Hertkorn,
  • Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-023-00833-5
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 6, no. 1
pp. 1 – 8

Abstract

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Aldehydes can be formed under extraterrestrial conditions, however, the synthesis of aldehydes on early Earth remains largely unclear. Here, the authors report the formation of acetaldehydes and higher condensation products starting from a gaseous mixture of acetylene and carbon monoxide over nickel sulfide containing water with various pH-values under hydrothermal conditions.