Adsorption of ribose nucleotides on manganese oxides with varied mn/o ratio: implications for chemical evolution.

Manganese exists in different oxidation states under different environmental conditions with respect to redox potential. Various forms of manganese oxides, namely, Manganosite (MnO), Bixbyite (Mn(2)O(3)), Hausmannite (Mn(3)O(4)) and Pyrolusite (MnO(2)) were synthesized and their possible role in chemical evolution studied. Adsorption studies of ribose nucleotides (5'-AMP, 5'-GMP, 5'-CMP and 5'-UMP) on these manganese oxides at neutral pH, revealed a higher binding affinity to manganosite (MnO) compared to the other manganese oxides. That manganese oxides having a lower Mn-O ratio show higher binding affinity for the ribonucleotides indirectly implies that such oxides may have provided a surface onto which biomonomers could have been concentrated through selective adsorption. Purine nucleotides were adsorbed to a greater extent compared to the pyrimidine nucleotides. Adsorption data followed Langmuir adsorption isotherms, and X( m ) and K( L ) values were calculated. The nature of the interaction and mechanism was elucidated by infrared spectral studies conducted on the metal-oxide and ribonucleotide-metal-oxide adducts.