Synthesis of Cystine in Simulated Primitive Conditions

Abstract

IN an attempt to utilize the very abundant long wavelength ultraviolet solar radiation for prebiological organic chemistry, a series of experiments was performed in which H₂S was introduced as the long wavelength photon acceptor. These experiments are described in detail elsewhere¹, but in a typical experiment a spherical reaction vessel was filled with methane, ethane, ammonia, water vapour and H₂S and the gases were irradiated in cylindrical geometry with the 2537 Å and/or 1849 Å resonance emission lines of mercury. The gases and their photolysis products were then circulated over a liquid water bath by a greaseless solenoid pump and returned to the reaction vessel (Fig. 1).