The extreme environment of hydrothermal vents has been proposed by others to be the site for prebiotic chemistry driven by iron-sulfide surfaces [1].  Studies in our laboratory investigated the chemistry of iron sulfide phases in facilitating biologically relevant chemistry under a range of temperatures, pressures and pH environments. Chemistry that produced  ammonia on an early Earth might be presumed to be a key reaction that would likely precede the assembly of biologically relevant molecules. Studies will be presented that investigated the conversion of nitrite/nitrate  to ammonia on  iron sulfide surfaces and those modified with molybdenum.  Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to investigate the reduction of nitrite/nitrate and dinitrogen under hydrothermal conditions in the presence of iron sulfide and hydrogen sulfide at temperatures up to 150�C. Data is presented that helps to determine the composition of the iron sulfide surface during the conversion of the reactants to ammonia under hydrothermal reaction conditions. The spectroscopic results help to elucidate key redox active reaction sites on the sulfide surfaces.[1] Wachtershauser, G. (1988) Systematic & Applied Microbiology 10, 207�210.

Ammonia formation from nitrite and nitrate on molybdenum-modified iron sulfide surfaces

248th National Meeting (2014)

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