Miller-Urey Experiment And The Primordial Soup Theory
Miller-Urey Experiment Apparatus and Procedure
Miller-Urey Experiment Animation
Chemistry Of The Miller And Urey Experiment
The Miller-Urey Experiment In Support Of Abiogenesis
From what was explained in the previous paragraph, it can undoubtedly be considered as a classic experiment to demonstrate abiogenesis. For those who are not conversant with the term, abiogenesis is the process responsible for the development of living beings from non-living or abiotic matter. It is thought to have taken place on the Earth about 3.8 to 4 billion years ago. After electrical sparking had continued for a day, the solution in the trap turned pink in color. At the end of a week, the boiling flask was removed, and mercuric chloride added to prevent microbial contamination. After stopping the chemical reaction, the scientist duo examined the cooled water collected to find that 10-15% of the carbon present in the system was in the form of organic compounds. 2% of carbon went into the formation of various amino acids, including 13 of the 22 amino acids essential to make proteins in living cells, glycine being the most abundant. Though the result was the production of only simple organic molecules and not a complete living biochemical system, still the simple prebiotic experiment could, to a considerable extent, prove the primordial soup hypothesis. CO2 → CO + [O] (atomic oxygen) CH4 + 2[O] → CH2O + H2O CO + NH3 → HCN + H2O CH4 + NH3 → HCN + 3H2 The ammonia, formaldehyde and HCN so produced react by a process known as Strecker synthesis to form biomolecules including amino acids. CH2O + HCN + NH3 → NH2-CH2-CN + H2O NH2-CH2-CN + 2H2O → NH3 + NH2-CH2-COOH (glycine) In addition to the above, formaldehyde and water can react by Butlerov’s reaction to produce a variety of sugars like ribose, etc. Though later studies have indicated that the reducing atmosphere as replicated by Miller and Urey could not have prevailed on primitive Earth, still, the experiment remains to be a milestone in synthesizing the building blocks of life under abiotic conditions and not from living beings themselves. https://www.juliantrubin.com/bigten/miller_urey_experiment.html http://www.gcsescience.com/w-how-did-life-begin.htm
