Abstract
THE suggestion that the primitive atmosphere was highly reducing and consisted mainly of methane, ammonia and water vapour1 is supported by Miller's observation that amino-acids are formed by electrical discharges through such a mixture2 and the synthesis of various biomolecules under presumed primitive Earth atmospheres containing ammonia3. Bada and Miller4 point out that an ammonium ion concentration of 10−2 to 10−3 M is necessary for the synthesis of these biomolecules while Rasool and McGovern5 suggest that a methane–ammonia atmosphere could have been maintained for 109 years by a low leakage rate of hydrogen.
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FERRIS, J., NICODEM, D. Ammonia Photolysis and the Role of Ammonia in Chemical Revolution. Nature 238, 268–269 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1038/238268a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/238268a0
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