# Artificial Seawater Models Affect Sorption of Adenine and Related Molecules Sorption onto Montmorillonite: Implications for Early Mars and Earth Oceans

## TL;DR

This study shows how montmorillonite clay can help retain organic molecules like adenine in early Earth and Mars oceans, supporting theories about the origin of life.

## Contribution

The study reveals how ionic composition affects the adsorption of prebiotic molecules onto montmorillonite under simulated early planetary conditions.

## Key findings

- AMP showed the highest adsorption due to interactions between its phosphate group and clay surfaces.
- Adsorption efficiency varied with the ionic composition of the simulated seawater.
- Montmorillonite could have acted as a selective reservoir for prebiotic molecules in early aquatic environments.

## Abstract

The adsorption of
biomolecules onto mineral surfaces plays a crucial
role in the context of prebiotic chemistry, as originally proposed
by John Desmond Bernal. According to Bernal’s hypothesis, clay
minerals could have facilitated the concentration and stabilization
of organic molecules, creating favorable microenvironments for prebiotic
reactions and polymerization processes. In this study, we evaluate
the adsorption behavior of adenine, adenosine, and adenosine monophosphate
(AMP) onto montmorillonite under different artificial seawater conditions,
simulating early Earth and early Mars aqueous environments. The adsorption
efficiency varied depending on the ionic composition of the solution,
with AMP exhibiting the highest adsorption, likely due to its phosphate
group interacting with divalent cations in solution and clay surfaces.
These findings suggest that montmorillonite could have played a significant
role in the retention of organic molecules under prebiotic conditions.
In particular, these results reinforce the idea that early oceans,
lakes, or hydrothermal systems with high mineral content might have
acted as selective reservoirs for prebiotic compounds. These insights
contribute to our understanding of how prebiotic chemistry could have
evolved in different planetary scenarios, with implications for the
origin of life on Earth and potentially on Mars.