Formation of extraterrestrial peptides and their derivatives | Science Advances

The formation of protein precursors, due to the condensation of atomic carbon under the low-temperature conditions of the molecular phases of the interstellar medium, opens alternative pathways for the origin of life. We perform peptide synthesis under conditions prevailing in space and provide a comprehensive analytic characterization of its products. The application of ¹³ C allowed us to confirm the suggested pathway of peptide formation that proceeds due to the polymerization of aminoketene molecules that are formed in the C + CO + NH ₃ reaction. Here, we address the question of how the efficiency of peptide production is modified by the presence of water molecules. We demonstrate that although water slightly reduces the efficiency of polymerization of aminoketene, it does not prevent the formation of peptides.