Asymmetric Reactions of Amino-Acid-Related Compounds by Polarized Electrons from Beta-decay Radiation
Abstract
The origin of homochirality of biological molecules such as amino acids has remained one of the most important problems in the field of origins of life and astrobiology. One of the possible scenario for the generation of enantiomeric excesses of amino acids are asymmetric formation or decomposition of amino acids by circularly polarized light from synchrotron radiation source in space (i.e. Takano, et al. 2007). However, one of the serious drawbacks of the hypothesis is that direction of circular polarization depends on relative position to the radiation source. Another possible hypothesis is based on the radiation source with absolutely determined polarization direction. It is well known that electrons from betadecay radiation advance with determined helicity derived from parity violence mechanism. Tsarev et al. have reported the first results of the RAdiation Mechanism of Biomolecular ASymmetry (RAMBAS) experiment on investigation of the radiation mechanism of the influence on chiral molecules, as a factor leading to origination of chiral asymmetry (Burkoy, et al. 2008). It was found that irradiation of simple achiral materials by a flux of electrons from radioactive source initiated the synthesis of amino acids, and it resulted in asymmetric degradation and chiral asymmetry in a racemic mixture of amino acids. The results obtained can be important for the solution of the origin-of-life and biological homochirality problems. We are planning further experiments on asymmetric reactions of amino-acid-related materials, such as amino-acid metal-complexes in solution or thin solid films on glass substrate surface, combined with circular dichroism (CD) measurements in vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) region using synchrotron radiation beam lines at Beijing and Tsukuba.
- Publication:
-
Origins of Life and Evolution of the Biosphere
- Pub Date:
- May 2009
- DOI:
- 10.1007/s11084-009-9164-7
- Bibcode:
- 2009OLEB...39..295B