Prebiotic ammonia from reduction of nitrite by iron (II) on the early Earth (original) (raw)

Nature volume 365, pages 630–633 (1993)Cite this article

Abstract

THEORIES for the origin of life require the availability of reduced (or 'fixed') nitrogen-containing compounds, in particular ammonia. In reducing atmospheres, such compounds are readily formed by electrical discharges1,2, but geochemical evidence suggests that the early Earth had a non-reducing atmosphere1,3–6, in which discharges would have instead produced NO (refs 7–10). This would have been converted into nitric and nitrous acids and delivered to the early oceans as acid rain11. It is known12–15, however, that Fe(II) was present in the early oceans at much higher concentrations than are found today, and thus the oxidation of Fe(II) to Fe(III) provides a possible means for reducing nitrites and nitrates to ammonia. Here we explore this possibility in a series of experiments which mimic a broad range of prebiotic seawater conditions (the actual conditions on the early Earth remain poorly constrained). We find that the reduction by Fe(II) of nitrites and nitrates to ammonia could have been a significant source of reduced nitrogen on the early Earth, provided that the ocean pH exceeded 7.3 and is favoured for temperatures greater than about 25 °C.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Subscribe to this journal

Receive 51 print issues and online access

$199.00 per year

only $3.90 per issue

Buy this article

USD 39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Additional access options:

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Schopf, J. W. (ed.) Earth's Earliest Biosphere 53–92 (Princeton Univ. Press, 1983).
  2. Stribling, R. & Miller, S. L. Orig. Life Evol. Biosph. 17, 261–273 (1978).
    Article Google Scholar
  3. Walker, J. C. G. Orig. Life Evol. Biosph. 16, 117–127 (1985).
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  4. Mattioli, G. S. & Wood, B. J. Nature 322, 626–628 (1986).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  5. Gregor, C. B., Garrels, R. M., Mackenzie, F. T. & Maynard, J. B. (eds) Chemical Cycles in the Evolution of the Earth 42–79 (Wiley, New York, 1988).
  6. Kasting, J. F. Precambr. Res. 34, 205–229 (1987).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  7. Chameides, W. L. & Walker, J. C. G. Orig. Life Evol. Biosph. 11, 291–302 (1981).
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  8. Yung, Y. L. & McElroy, M. B. Science 203, 1002–1004 (1979).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  9. Kasting, J. F. Orig. Life Evol. Biosph. 20, 199–231 (1990).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  10. Fegley, B. Jr, Prinn, R. G., Hartman, H. & Watkins, G. H. Nature 319, 305–308 (1986).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  11. Mancinelli, R. L. & McKay, C. P. Orig. Life Evol. Biosph. 18, 311–325 (1988).
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  12. H. D. Holland Econ. Geol. 68, 1169–1172 (1973).
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  13. Walker, J. C. G. & Brimblecombe, P. Precambr. Res. 28, 205–222 (1985).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  14. Derry, L. A. & Jacobsen, S. B. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 54, 2965–2975 (1990).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  15. Holland, H. D. The Chemical Evolution of the Atmosphere and Oceans Ch. 4 (Princeton Univ. Press, 1989).
    Google Scholar
  16. Buresh, R. J. & Moraghan, J. T. J. envir. Qual. 5, 320–324 (1976).
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  17. Walker, C. G. J. et al. in Earth's Earliest Biosphere (ed. Schopf, J. W.) 260–284 (Princeton Univ. Press, 1983).
    Google Scholar
  18. Chyba, C. & Sagan, C. Orig. Life Evol. Biosph. 21, 3–17 (1991).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  19. Grätzel, Von M., Taniguchi, S. & Henglein, A. Ber. Bunsenges. phys. Chem. 74, 1003–1010 (1970).
    Article Google Scholar
  20. Doyle, M. P. & Mahapatro, S. N. J. Am. chem. Soc. 106, 3678–3679 (1984).
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  21. Butler, J. N. Carbon Dioxide Equilibria and Their Applications (Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA, 1982)
    Google Scholar
  22. Freier, R. K. (ed.) Aqueous Solutions Vol 1 (de Gruyter, Berlin, 1976).
  23. Holland, H. D. The Chemical Evolution of the Atmosphere and Oceans 205 (Princeton Univ. Press).
  24. Windley, B. F. (ed.) The Early History of the Earth (Wiley, New York, 1976).
  25. Turcotte, D. L. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 48, 50–53 (1980).
    Article ADS Google Scholar
  26. Kasting, J. F., Zahnle, K. J., Pinto, J. P. & Young, A. T. Orig. Life Evol. Biosph. 19, 95–108 (1989).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  27. Zafiriou, O. C. & True, M. B. Mar. Chem. 8, 9–32 (1979).
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  28. Broecker, W. S. & Peng, T.-H. Tracers in the Sea 243 (Lamont-Doherty geol. Obs. Palisades, 1982).
    Google Scholar
  29. Kasting, J. F. J. geophys. Res. 87, 3091–3098 (1982).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  30. Bada, J. L. & Miller, S. L. Science 159, 423–425 (1968).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  31. Kuhn, W. E. & Kasting, J. F. Nature 301, 53–55 (1983).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  32. Walker, C. G. J. Orig. Life Evol. Biosph. 16, 117–127 (1985).
    Article CAS Google Scholar

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. NASA-Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, 94035, USA
    David P. Summers & Sherwood Chang

Authors

  1. David P. Summers
  2. Sherwood Chang

Rights and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Summers, D., Chang, S. Prebiotic ammonia from reduction of nitrite by iron (II) on the early Earth.Nature 365, 630–633 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1038/365630a0

Download citation

This article is cited by