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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1992 Sep 1;89(17):8117–8120. doi: 10.1073/pnas.89.17.8117

Reactions depending on iron sulfide and linking geochemistry with biochemistry.

E Blöchl 1, M Keller 1, G Wachtershäuser 1, K O Stetter 1
PMCID: PMC49867  PMID: 11607321

Abstract

Iron sulfide gives rise to unusual reducing reactions: some dependent on FeS/H2S synergism [NO-3 --> NH3; HC(three bonds)CH--> H2C=CH2, H3C-CH3; -CH2-CO- --> -CH=CH-, -CH2-CH2-; HS-CH2-COOH --> CH3-COOH; others dependent on FeS alone [HS-CH2-CH2-X --> CH2=CH2 (where X = OH, SH, or NH2)]. The experimental conditions are geochemically plausible: 100 degrees C, aqueous, nearly neutral, and fastidiously anaerobic. These reactions establish additional facts of soil chemistry, organic geochemistry, and the global nitrogen cycle. Further, they point to the common evolutionary denominator of geochemistry and biochemistry.

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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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