‘Thunder’: Shock waves in pre-biological organic synthesis
| ISSN: |
1573-0875
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| Source: |
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
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| Topics: |
Biology
Geosciences
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| Notes: |
Abstract A theoretical study of the gas dynamics and chemistry of lightning-produced shock waves in a postulated primordial reducing atmosphere was conducted. It was shown that the conditions are similar to those encountered in a previously performed shock-tube experiment which resulted in 36% of the ammonia in the original mixture being converted into amino acids. The calculations gave the (very large) energy rate of about 0.4 cal/cm2/yr available for amino produproduction, supporting previous hypotheses that ‘thunder’ could have been responsible for efficient large scale production of organic molecules serving as precursors of life.
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| Type of Medium: |
Electronic Resource
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| URL: |