Origins of Life and Evolution of the Biosphere 2013-02-01

A laboratory model of a prebiotic, spontaneous, and continuous enantiomeric enrichment process.

Stanley I Goldberg

Index: Orig. Life Evol. Biosph. 43(1) , 31-7, (2013)

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Abstract

Construction and operation of a laboratory model, which combines the lately discovered enantioenrichment method of the author (2007) with the sun-powered evaporative pumping process of Hsu and Siegenthaler (Sedimentology 12:11-25 1969), is described. The model operated continuously for 120 days before it was intentionally shut down, even though it could have continued. During that time it raised the enantiomeric excess of the test material by a factor of 3.6. Implications of these results on the origin of biohomochirality are discussed.