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The effect of smectite composition on the catalysis of peptide bond formation

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Abstract

Clay-catalyzed glycine and diglycine oligomerizations were performed as drying/wetting cycles at 80°C. Two trioctahedral smectites (hectorite and saponite), three pure montmorillonites, a ferruginous smectite, an Fe(II)-rich smectite, and three smectites containing goethite admixture were used as catalysts. Highest peptide bond formation was found with trioctahedral smectites. About 7% of glycine was converted to diglycine and diketopiperazine on hectorite after 7 days. In the case of dioctahedral smectites, highest yields were achieved using clays with a negative-layer charge localized in the octahedral sheets (up to 2% of converted glycine after 7 days). The presence of Fe(II) in clay is reflected in a higher efficiency in catalyzing amino acid dimerization (about 3.5% of converted glycine after 7 days). The possible significance of the results for prebiotic chemistry is discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 842 36, Bratislava, Slovakia

    Juraj Bujdák

  2. Institute of General, Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 52a, A-6020, Innsbruck, Austria

    Bernd M. Rode

Authors
  1. Juraj Bujdák
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  2. Bernd M. Rode
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Correspondence to: J. Bujdák

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Bujdák, J., Rode, B.M. The effect of smectite composition on the catalysis of peptide bond formation. J Mol Evol 43, 326–333 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02339007

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02339007

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