Fig. 1. 2-Aminooxazole (AO), 2-aminoimidazole (AI), and 2-aminothiazole (AT) are related molecules in the 2-aminoazole family with distinct potential roles in prebiotic chemistry. AO is a key intermediate in the synthesis of pyrimidine ribonucleotides. AI can activate RNA monomers to allow for efficient non-enzymatic replication, and AT can help to sequester, stabilize, and crystallize molecules.
