Prebiotic chemistry suggests high phosphate concentrations were crucial for synthesizing life's building blocks. However, typical mineral solubility predictions show negligible phosphate in early Earth waters. This study investigates the role of Fe²⁺, abundant on early Earth, on phosphate solubility. Experiments and models show Fe²⁺ significantly increases phosphate solubility in anoxic systems, suggesting Hadean and Archean seawater had much higher phosphate concentrations than previously thought. This finding supports the idea that seawater met the chemical requirements of early life.
Publisher
Nature Communications
Published On
Sep 02, 2022
Authors
Matthew P. Brady, Rosalie Tostevin, Nicholas J. Tosca
