Phosphorus is a key element in biological systems and was presumably important in prebiotic or early life evolution.  Unlike the other major biogenic elements (C, H, N, O, and S), phosphorus has no major volatile phase, and hence its ultimate source must be a mineral.  Recently we have shown that phosphite was a component in the early Archean ocean (Pasek et al. 2013), suggesting a significant role for reduced oxidation state P compounds on the early earth.  This phosphite may have a meteoritic origin, and opens up new avenues in prebiotic chemistry, including reactivity with carbonyl bonds to make alternative backbone molecules (Bryant et al. 2010).  Additionally, phosphite can disproportionate to generate phosphine, possibly allowing for P to participate in early high-energy prebiotic chemical reactions.  References       Pasek MA, Harnmeijer J, Buick R, Maheen G, and Atlas Z (2013) Evidence for reactive reduced phosphorus species in the early Archean ocean.  Proc Natl Acad USA 110 :10089-10094.Bryant, D.E., Marriott, K.E.R., Macgregor, S.A., Fishwick, C.W.G., Pasek, M.A., and Kee, T.P., 2010, Plausible prebiotic ancestors of sugar-phosphates.  Chemical Communications 46 , 3726-3728.

Phosphorus: Novel prebiotic reaction pathways unveiled from the geologic record

248th National Meeting (2014)

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