Photocatalytic reversible amination of α-keto acids on a ZnS surface: implications for the prebiotic metabolism.

We report the enzyme-like reversible amination of four intermediates pertinent to the reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle on a photo-irradiated surface of mineral sphalerite (ZnS). Given its prevalence in the waters of early Earth, we suggest that the mineral-based photochemistry might have catalyzed the homeostasis of prebiotic metabolic systems. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2012