Plasma synthesis method for co-generation of amino acid and nucleobase

Abstract

The invention relates to a plasma synthesis method for co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases, which comprises the following steps of: introducing ammonia gas and carbon dioxide in a preset proportion into a plasma bubble discharge reactor containing ultrapure water; and carrying out discharge reaction in the plasma bubble discharge reactor to synchronously generate amino acid and nucleobasic groups. The amino acid and nucleobase co-generation plasma synthesis method simulates a scene that natural lightning strikes the sea surface to generate bubbles in an early-stage earth environment, serves as a first step of a chemical origin of life, and provides a new path for the origin of biomolecules under an abiotic condition.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of simultaneous synthesis of amino acids and nucleobases under non-biological conditions, and in particular to a plasma synthesis method for co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases. Background Art

[0002] The synthesis of biomolecules under prebiotic conditions is a key issue in revealing the origin of life. The emergence of its first biomolecules is crucial to the origin and evolution of life. Proteins and nucleic acids, as important components of modern life, not only play functions such as regulating metabolism, providing energy and synthesizing proteins in life activities, but also play an extremely important role in the origin and evolution of life, especially in the emergence of the first primitive cells. In particular, their basic building blocks, amino acids and nucleobases, are the most basic building blocks of life. The synchronous prebiotic synthesis of the above key compounds is one of the most challenging tasks related to the emergence of early life on Earth. Since the Miller experiment, decades of work have studied their origins from various conditions and energy sources, such as deep-sea hydrothermal systems, dry-wet cycles, icy environments, mechanochemistry and mineral surfaces, but it remains an unresolved issue.

[0003] In addition, the generally accepted RNA world hypothesis suggests that RNA was used by primitive life on Earth to perform catalytic and informational functions before the current biochemistry based on protein enzymes and DNA. However, the spontaneous generation of RNA under abiotic conditions is largely questioned, and functional polymers may be precursors of RNA, such as nucleobases. In addition, the emergence of life cannot be the evolution of a single substance, and the interaction between molecules is a necessary condition for the origin of life. Polypeptides in the primitive Earth are believed to be conducive to establishing a molecular co-evolutionary relationship with nucleic acids. Therefore, it is necessary to explore a pathway that can produce amino acids and nucleic acids or their components at the same time.

[0004] The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known to a person of ordinary skill in the art. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention provides a plasma synthesis method for the co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases. The plasma generated by high-voltage discharge has the characteristics of high electron temperature and high reaction activity, and can generate a large number of high-energy electrons and highly active free radicals. The chemical bonds between inorganic molecules are broken by collision or oxidation, and then rearranged and combined to generate organic molecules. Through the plasma synthesis path, an environment is provided for the accumulation and interaction of biological molecules, which is of great significance to the origin and evolution of life.

[0006] A plasma synthesis method for the co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases comprises: Passing a predetermined ratio of ammonia and carbon dioxide into a plasma bubble discharge reactor containing ultrapure water; A discharge reaction is carried out in the plasma bubble discharge reactor to synchronously produce amino acids and nucleobases.

[0007] In the plasma synthesis method for co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases, the plasma bubble discharge reactor includes a gas duct for introducing gas, and the gas duct includes a three-way pipe for mixing ammonia and carbon dioxide in a predetermined ratio to form a mixed gas.

[0008] In the plasma synthesis method for co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases, the plasma bubble discharge reactor is connected to a negative polarity DC power supply to provide electrical energy, and a current limiting resistor is used to prevent current overload.

[0009] In the plasma synthesis method for the co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases, the voltage of the plasma bubble discharge reactor is adjusted to 5 kV, the current is about 45 mA, and the discharge is continued for 15 minutes.

[0010] In the plasma synthesis method for co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases, the electrodes of the plasma bubble discharge reactor are stainless steel electrodes, the electrodes are covered with quartz tubes, a clamping ring for fixing the electrodes is inserted between the quartz tubes and the electrodes, and the bottom of the quartz tubes has a plurality of micrometer-level holes for generating bubbles.

[0011] In the plasma synthesis method for co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases, the diameter of the micrometer-scale hole is 200 micrometers, the yield of amino acids and nucleobases is increased by reducing the size of the bubbles, and the clasp is a plastic clasp.

[0012] In the plasma synthesis method for co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases, the yields of amino acids and nucleobases are adjusted by controlling the gas flow rate.

[0013] In the plasma synthesis method for the co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases, the predetermined ratio is 1:1, the purity of NH3 is at least 99.99% and the purity of CO2 is at least 99.99%.

[0014] A plasma synthesis device for co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases for implementing a plasma synthesis method for co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases comprises: A plasma bubble discharge reactor containing ultrapure water, the plasma bubble discharge reactor having electrodes for discharge reaction, an air guide pipe connected to the plasma bubble discharge reactor to pass ammonia and carbon dioxide in a predetermined ratio into the plasma bubble discharge reactor; A negative polarity DC power supply is electrically connected to the electrodes to perform a discharge reaction in the plasma bubble discharge reactor to synchronously produce amino acids and nucleobases.

[0015] In the plasma synthesis device, the electrode is covered with a quartz tube, a clamping ring for fixing the electrode is inserted between the quartz tube and the electrode, and the bottom of the quartz tube has a plurality of micrometer-level holes for generating bubbles.

[0016] In the plasma synthesis device, the diameter of the micrometer-scale hole is 200 micrometers.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages: the reaction time of the present invention is shorter and more amino acids and nucleobases can be produced; the prior art can only produce one of amino acids or nucleobases, while the present invention can produce them simultaneously, which is conducive to providing conditions for the interaction between molecules in the process of the origin of life chemistry. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] By reading the detailed description of the preferred specific embodiments below, various other advantages and benefits of the present invention will become clear to those of ordinary skill in the art. The drawings in the specification are only for the purpose of illustrating the preferred embodiments and are not considered to be limitations of the present invention. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings without creative work. Moreover, the same reference numerals are used to represent the same components throughout the drawings.

[0019] In the attached picture: Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a plasma bubble reactor of the present invention; Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the relative yields of amino acids and nucleobases produced according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] The present invention is further explained below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although the specific embodiments of the present invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present invention can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments set forth herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided in order to enable a more thorough understanding of the present invention and to fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art.

[0022] It should be noted that certain words are used in the specification and claims to refer to specific components. Those skilled in the art should understand that technicians may use different nouns to refer to the same component. This specification and claims do not use the difference in nouns as a way to distinguish components, but use the difference in the functions of the components as the criterion for distinction. As mentioned throughout the specification and claims, "including" or "comprising" is an open term, so it should be interpreted as "including but not limited to". The subsequent description of the specification is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the description is based on the general principles of the specification and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention shall be determined by the attached claims.

[0023] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, further explanation will be given below by taking specific embodiments as examples in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and each of the accompanying drawings does not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of the present invention.

[0024] like Figure 1 to Figure 2 As shown, the plasma synthesis method for the co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases comprises the following steps: Passing a predetermined ratio of ammonia and carbon dioxide into a plasma bubble discharge reactor containing ultrapure water; A discharge reaction is carried out in the plasma bubble discharge reactor to synchronously produce amino acids and nucleobases.

[0025] In the plasma synthesis method for co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases, the plasma bubble discharge reactor includes a gas duct for introducing gas, and the gas duct includes a three-way pipe for mixing ammonia and carbon dioxide in a predetermined ratio to form a mixed gas.

[0026] In the plasma synthesis method for co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases, the plasma bubble discharge reactor is connected to a negative polarity DC power supply to provide electrical energy, and a current limiting resistor is used to prevent current overload.

[0027] In the plasma synthesis method for the co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases, the voltage of the plasma bubble discharge reactor is adjusted to 5 KV, the current is about 45 mA, and the discharge is continued for 15 minutes.

[0028] In the plasma synthesis method for co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases, the electrodes of the plasma bubble discharge reactor are stainless steel electrodes, the electrodes are covered with quartz tubes, a clamping ring for fixing the electrodes is inserted between the quartz tubes and the electrodes, and the bottom of the quartz tubes has a plurality of micrometer-level holes for generating bubbles.

[0029] In the plasma synthesis method for the co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases, the diameter of the micrometer-scale hole is 200 micrometers.

[0030] In the plasma synthesis method for co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases, the clasp is a plastic clasp.

[0031] In the plasma synthesis method for co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases, the yield of amino acids and nucleobases is increased by reducing the bubble size.

[0032] In the plasma synthesis method for co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases, the yields of amino acids and nucleobases are adjusted by controlling the gas flow rate.

[0033] In the plasma synthesis method for the co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases, the predetermined ratio is 1:1, the purity of NH3 is at least 99.99% and the purity of CO2 is at least 99.99%.

[0034] In one embodiment, NH3 and CO2 are reacted through a plasma bubble reactor, powered by a negative polarity DC power supply, and ultrapure water is discharged for 15 minutes. Further, 11 amino acids and 3 nucleobases are produced synchronously. When different gas flow rates are used for the reaction, the yields of amino acids and nucleobases are different. Within a certain range, as the flow rate increases, a high-speed camera is used to find that the bubble size will increase and the yield of amino acids and nucleobases will decrease. Specifically, taking the product glycine as an example, its yield decreases within the flow rate range of 40-300 mL / min as the flow rate increases, and is the largest at 40 mL / min, reaching 70.2 μM, and when the flow rate increases to 300 mL / min, the yield of glycine decreases to 12.3 μM. In this process, the size of the bubbles becomes larger and larger, and the diameter gradually increases from 80 μm to 280 μm.

[0035] In one embodiment, the plasma bubble reactor uses a negative voltage DC power supply to simulate lightning. NH3 (99.99%) and CO2 (99.99%) are used in this system. There are multiple micropores around the bottom of the discharge electrode with a micropore size of 200 µm, which allows the plasma bubble to enter the aqueous solution. Based on the discharge reaction generated at the gas-liquid interface in the plasma bubble, up to 11 amino acids and 3 nucleobases can be produced simultaneously, indicating its high reaction efficiency.

[0036] In one embodiment, a plasma synthesis method for the co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases comprises, 1. Mix 99.99% pure ammonia and 99.99% pure carbon dioxide through a three-way pipe and introduce them into the bubble reactor. Figure 1 As shown, the flow was continued for 5 minutes to eliminate interference from other gases in the reactor.

[0037] 2.Ultrapure water is used as the solution in the reactor.

[0038] 3. Use a negative polarity DC power supply to provide power, and use a current limiting resistor to ensure the safety of the circuit and prevent current overload. At the beginning of the experiment, adjust the voltage to 5 KV and the current to about 45 mA, and continue discharging for 15 minutes.

[0039] 4. At the end of the experiment, the solution in the reactor was collected, freeze-dried at -80°C, dissolved in 1 mL of ultrapure water, and analyzed using rapid ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry.

[0040] The implementation results are summarized in the following table: Table 1 Summary of amino acids and nucleobases generated after discharge and the corresponding mass spectrometry analysis errors are in line with international standards

[0041] A plasma synthesis device for co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases for implementing a plasma synthesis method for co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases comprises: A plasma bubble discharge reactor containing ultrapure water, the plasma bubble discharge reactor having electrodes for discharge reaction, an air guide pipe connected to the plasma bubble discharge reactor to pass ammonia and carbon dioxide in a predetermined ratio into the plasma bubble discharge reactor; A negative polarity DC power supply is electrically connected to the electrodes to perform a discharge reaction in the plasma bubble discharge reactor to synchronously produce amino acids and nucleobases.

[0042] In a preferred embodiment of the plasma synthesis device, the electrode is covered with a quartz tube, a clamping ring for fixing the electrode is inserted between the quartz tube and the electrode, and the bottom of the quartz tube has a plurality of micrometer-level holes for generating bubbles.

[0043] In a preferred embodiment of the plasma synthesis device, the diameter of the micrometer-sized hole is 200 micrometers.

[0044] Although the embodiments of the present invention are described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to the above specific embodiments and application fields, and the above specific embodiments are only illustrative and instructive, rather than restrictive. A person of ordinary skill in the art can also make many forms under the guidance of this specification and without departing from the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention, all of which belong to the protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A plasma synthesis method for the co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases, characterized in that: The steps include: Passing a predetermined ratio of ammonia and carbon dioxide into a plasma bubble discharge reactor containing ultrapure water; A discharge reaction is carried out in the plasma bubble discharge reactor to synchronously produce amino acids and nucleobases.

2. The plasma synthesis method for co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases according to claim 1, characterized in that: Preferably, the plasma bubble discharge reactor comprises a gas guide pipe for introducing gas, and the gas guide pipe comprises a tee for mixing ammonia and carbon dioxide in a predetermined ratio to form a mixed gas.

3. The plasma synthesis method for co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plasma bubble discharge reactor is connected to a negative polarity DC power supply to provide power, and a current limiting resistor is used to prevent current overload. The voltage of the plasma bubble discharge reactor is adjusted to 5 kV, the current is about 45 mA, and the discharge lasts for 15 minutes.

4. The plasma synthesis method for co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electrode of the plasma bubble discharge reactor is made of stainless steel electrode, which is covered with a quartz tube. A clamping ring for fixing the electrode is inserted between the quartz tube and the electrode. The bottom of the quartz tube has multiple micron-sized holes for generating bubbles.

5. The plasma synthesis method for co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases according to claim 4, characterized in that: The diameter of the micron-sized hole is 200 microns, which can increase the yield of amino acids and nucleobases by reducing the bubble size. The clasp is a plastic clasp.

6. The plasma synthesis method for co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gas flow rate is controlled to adjust the yield of amino acids and nucleobases.

7. The plasma synthesis method for co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases according to claim 1, characterized in that: The predetermined ratio is 1:1, the purity of NH3 is at least 99.99% and the purity of CO2 is at least 99.99%.

8. A plasma synthesis device for co-generation of amino acids and nucleobases according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: These include, A plasma bubble discharge reactor containing ultrapure water, the plasma bubble discharge reactor having electrodes for discharge reaction, an air guide pipe connected to the plasma bubble discharge reactor to pass ammonia and carbon dioxide in a predetermined ratio into the plasma bubble discharge reactor; A negative polarity DC power supply is electrically connected to the electrodes to perform a discharge reaction in the plasma bubble discharge reactor to synchronously produce amino acids and nucleobases.

9. The plasma synthesis device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The electrode is covered with a quartz tube, a clamping ring for fixing the electrode is inserted between the quartz tube and the electrode, and a plurality of micron-sized holes for generating bubbles are provided at the bottom of the quartz tube.

10. The plasma synthesis device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The diameter of the micron-sized holes is 200 microns.

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