The Nature of the Spark Is a Pivotal Element in the Design of a Miller–Urey Experiment
Sina Ravanbodshirazi,
Timothée Boutfol,
Neda Safaridehkohneh,
Marc Finkler,
Mina Mohammadi-Kambs,
Albrecht Ott
Affiliations
Sina Ravanbodshirazi
Biological Experimental Physics, Center for Biophysics, Faculity of Natural Sciences and Technology, Saarland University, Campus B2 1, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
Timothée Boutfol
Biological Experimental Physics, Center for Biophysics, Faculity of Natural Sciences and Technology, Saarland University, Campus B2 1, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
Neda Safaridehkohneh
Biological Experimental Physics, Center for Biophysics, Faculity of Natural Sciences and Technology, Saarland University, Campus B2 1, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
Marc Finkler
Biological Experimental Physics, Center for Biophysics, Faculity of Natural Sciences and Technology, Saarland University, Campus B2 1, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
Mina Mohammadi-Kambs
Biological Experimental Physics, Center for Biophysics, Faculity of Natural Sciences and Technology, Saarland University, Campus B2 1, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
Albrecht Ott
Biological Experimental Physics, Center for Biophysics, Faculity of Natural Sciences and Technology, Saarland University, Campus B2 1, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
Miller and Urey applied electric sparks to a reducive mixture of CH4, NH3, and water to obtain a complex organic mixture including biomolecules. In this study, we examined the impact of temperature, initial pressure, ammonia concentration, and the spark generator on the chemical profile of a Miller–Urey-type prebiotic broth. We analyzed the broth composition using Gas Chromatography combined with Mass Spectroscopy (GC/MS). The results point towards strong compositional changes with the nature of the spark. Ammonia exhibited catalytic properties even with non-nitrogen-containing compounds. A more elevated temperature led to a higher variety of substances. We conclude that to reproduce such a broth as well as possible, all the studied parameters need to be tightly controlled, the most difficult and important being spark generation.
