Hydrogen cyanide may have helped kickstart life on Earth

A study in ACS Central Science reports that frozen hydrogen cyanide (HCN) surfaces can promote reactions with water that produce polymers, amino acids, and nucleobases, and HCN is found across the Solar System.

Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is toxic at high doses, but new research suggests it could have played a role in early chemical steps toward life on Earth. Scientists used computer models to study frozen HCN and its crystal surfaces. They report that those surfaces can be unusually reactive in cold environments. The reactions with water can produce polymers, amino acids, and nucleobases, which are basic components of proteins and genetic material. Key findings: - Frozen HCN crystal surfaces can promote chemical reactions that are otherwise slow or absent at low temperatures. - Models uncovered two pathways that transform HCN into hydrogen isocyanide, an even more reactive form. - Reactions between HCN and water can yield polymers, amino acids, and nucleobases. - HCN is common in space, appearing on comets and in atmospheric layers of planets and moons such as Neptune and Titan. Summary: The study indicates that HCN ice could have contributed to forming prebiotic building blocks on early Earth and suggests similar chemistry might occur on other worlds where HCN is present. Undetermined at this time.