Nowadays, spontaneous origin of life is considered impossible. But scientists admit, and some even argue that in the past this process took place and was called the abiogenic synthesis of organic substances. In other words, organic substances can form outside living organisms (living from inanimate).
Features of the process
The abiogenic synthesis of organic substances is theoretically possible, but this requires certain conditions. During this process, optically inactive or racemic mixtures are formed. Substances contain a variety of rotating isomers in equal amounts.
Today, abiogenic synthesis is carried out in specialized laboratories. Thanks to this, many biologically important monomers are examined. One of the unusually significant for human activity by a product of abiogenic synthesis is oil. In the process of migration, the substance passes through the thickness of the sedimentary rock, extracting the organic mixture, presented in the form of resins and porphyrins.
Many researchers, in order to prove the existence of abiogenic synthesis, turned to the method of the industrial process for obtaining synthetic fuel. However, delving into the study of oil, scientists have found significant differences between the composition of natural and synthetic hydrocarbon mixtures. In the latter, there are practically no complex molecules that are saturated with substances such as fatty acids, terpenes, styrenes.
Under laboratory conditions, abiogenic synthesis is carried out using ultraviolet radiation, electric discharge or exposure to high temperature.
Stages of implementation of abiogenic synthesis
Most scientists argue that today the process of abiogenic synthesis is impossible not in laboratory conditions. Researchers believe that this phenomenon took place about 3.5 billion. years ago. In addition, the synthesis of organic substances was carried out in two stages:
The abiogenic synthesis of organic substances was confirmed as a result of studies that proved that compounds of this type were found in space.
It is believed that inorganic catalysts (for example, clay, bicopoline iron, copper, zinc, titanium and silicon) were important for the implementation of abiogenic synthesis.
The views of modern scientists on the origin of life
Many researchers have come to the conclusion that the origin of life originates near the coastal regions of the seas and oceans. Favorable conditions were created at the sea-land-air border for the formation of complex compounds.
All living beings, in fact, are open systems that receive energy from outside. Without a unique force, life on the planet is impossible. At the moment, the probability of the emergence of new living organisms is minimal, since it took billions of years to create what we have today. Even if organic compounds begin to emerge, they will immediately be oxidized or used by heterotrophic organisms.
