Phosphate condensation is an important reaction because the resulting polyphosphates are considered as �high-energy� molecules and may be able to transfer this energy to biomolecules. In this study, we have monitored the dehydration and rehydration process of potassium dihydrogen phosphate, alone and with adenosine monophosphate (AMP), deposited on a silica surface, using thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry (TGA/DSC), solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Raman spectroscopy. The phosphorylation of biomolecules does not happen spontaneously. It requires a high-energy source usually produced by enzymes in biochemistry. The questions we wanted to answer were: can phosphate condensation, and AMP phosphorylation, occur in a high-energy state, and will it produce a cyclic phosphate or polyphosphate. We observed by TGA a good correlation between acidic environments and the surface reactivity of phosphates. 31P NMR proved dehydration-rehydration of the pure potassium dihydrogen phosphate under thermal treatment and reexposure to air moisture, respectively.

Prebiotic, P-O-P bond formation: Potassium dihydrogen phosphate and adenosine monophosphate on a silica surface

245th National Meeting (2013)

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