Year-Long Stability of Nucleic Acid Bases in Concentrated Sulfuric Acid: Implications for the Persistence of Organic Chemistry in Venus’ Clouds
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life-14-00538.pdf
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Author(s)
Seager, Sara
Petkowski, Janusz J.
Seager, Maxwell D.
Grimes, John H.
Zinsli, Zachary
Vollmer-Snarr, Heidi R.
Abd El-Rahman, Mohamed K.
Wishart, David S.
Lee, Brian L.
Gautam, Vasuk
Date Issued
April 23, 2024
Journal
Life
Publisher
MDPI AG
Citation
Seager, S.; Petkowski, J.J.; Seager, M.D.; Grimes, J.H., Jr.; Zinsli, Z.; Vollmer-Snarr, H.R.; Abd El-Rahman, M.K.; Wishart, D.S.; Lee, B.L.; Gautam, V.; et al. Year-Long Stability of Nucleic Acid Bases in Concentrated Sulfuric Acid: Implications for the Persistence of Organic Chemistry in Venus’ Clouds. Life 2024, 14, 538.
Version
Final published version
Abstract
We show that the nucleic acid bases adenine, cytosine, guanine, thymine, and uracil, as well as 2,6-diaminopurine, and the “core” nucleic acid bases purine and pyrimidine, are stable for more than one year in concentrated sulfuric acid at room temperature and at acid concentrations relevant for Venus clouds (81% w/w to 98% w/w acid, the rest water). This work builds on our initial stability studies and is the first ever to test the reactivity and structural integrity of organic molecules subjected to extended incubation in concentrated sulfuric acid. The one-year-long stability of nucleic acid bases supports the notion that the Venus cloud environment—composed of concentrated sulfuric acid—may be able to support complex organic chemicals for extended periods of time.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.3390/life14050538
