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The prebiotic origins of biopolymers and metabolic co‐factors are key questions in Origins of Life studies. In a simple warm‐little‐pond model, using a drying phase to produce a urea‐enriched solution, we present a prebiotic synthetic path for the simultaneous formation of neopterins and tetrahydroneopterins, along with purine nucleosides. We show that, in the presence of ribose and in a formylating environment consisting of urea, ammonium formate, and water (UAFW), the formation of neopterins from pyrimidine precursors is robust, while the simultaneous formation of guanosine requires a significantly higher ribose concentration. Furthermore, these reactions provide a tetrahydropterin–pterin redox pair. This model suggests a prebiotic link in the origin of purine nucleosides and pterin cofactors that provides a possible deep prebiotic temporal connection for the emergence of nucleic acids and metabolic cofactors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The poor reactivity of insoluble phosphates, such as apatite-group minerals, has been a long-appreciated obstacle for proposed models of prebiotic organophosphate formation. This obstacle presents a significant challenge to the nascent development of an RNA world and other models for the origins of life on Earth. Herein, we demonstrate that a scenario based on the formation of a urea/ammonium formate/water (UAFW) eutectic solution leads to an increase in phosphorylation when compared to urea alone for phosphate sources of varying solubility. In addition, under evaporative conditions and in the presence of MgSO4, the UAFW eutectic mobilizes the phosphate sequestered in water-insoluble hydroxyapatite, giving rise to a marked increase in phosphorylation. These results suggest that the prebiotic concentrations of urea in a geologically plausible evaporitic environment could solve the problem of organic phosphorylation on a prebiotic Earth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: pterins; guanosine; origins of life; RNA world; phosphorylation EN pterins guanosine origins of life RNA world phosphorylation 1 1 1 07/13/22 20220711 NES 220711 B Guanosine and pterins are depicted as the constellation Gemini b . However, like Pollux from Greek mythology, guanosine would not have been born alone - pterins would have been formed in equal (or, in this case, even in major) parts through prebiotic reactions. Pterins, guanosine, origins of life, RNA world, phosphorylation. [Extracted from the article]

The cover page of the journal "Angewandte Chemie" is presented.