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Chemical evolution and ammonia in the early Earth's atmosphere

Nature volume 287, pages 526–528 (1980)Cite this article

Abstract

A constraint on research into the evolution of the Earth's atmosphere may have been resolved by recent work on the photochemical reduction of atmospheric nitrogen by a naturally occurring form of TiO2 (ref. 1). We show here that this source could have provided a small but vital abiological supply of ammonia in the early atmosphere of the Earth. Locally the levels of NH3 produced by this mechanism satisfy the requirements of origin-of-life biologists whilst global levels do not conflict with chemical and physical constraints on the surface/atmosphere system nor with geological evidence for early Precambrian conditions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 3BX, UK

    A. Henderson-Sellers

  2. Department of Exobiology, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    A. W. Schwartz

Authors
  1. A. Henderson-Sellers
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  2. A. W. Schwartz
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Henderson-Sellers, A., Schwartz, A. Chemical evolution and ammonia in the early Earth's atmosphere. Nature 287, 526–528 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1038/287526a0

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