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. 1972 Apr;69(4):809–811. doi: 10.1073/pnas.69.4.809

Nonprotein Amino Acids from Spark Discharges and Their Comparison with the Murchison Meteorite Amino Acids

Yecheskel Wolman 1,*, William J Haverland 1, Stanley L Miller 1,†
PMCID: PMC426569  PMID: 16591973

Abstract

All the nonprotein amino acids found in the Murchison meteorite are products of the action of electric discharge on a mixture of methane, nitrogen, and water with traces of ammonia. These amino acids include α-amino-n-butyric acid, α-aminoisobutyric acid, norvaline, isovaline, pipecolic acid, β-alanine, β-amino-n-butyric acid, β-aminoisobutyric acid, γ-aminobutyric acid, sarcosine, N-ethylglycine, and N-methylalanine. In addition, norleucine, alloisoleucine, N-propylglycine, N-isopropylglycine, N-methyl-β-alanine, N-ethyl-β-alanine α,β-diaminopropionic acid, isoserine, α,γ-diaminobutyric acid, and α-hydroxy-γ-aminobutyric acid are produced by the electric discharge, but have not been found in the meteorite.

Keywords: gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, prebiotic synthesis, amino-acid analyzer

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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