Thermodynamic Equilibria in Prebiological Atmospheres
- 11 December 1964
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science
- Vol. 146 (3650) , 1461-1464
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.146.3650.1461
Abstract
The concentrations of a large number of compounds of biological interest which would be present in the atmosphere at thermodynamic equilibrium were computed under many combinations of temperature, pressure, and elemental composition. These computations revealed a possible mechanism for the abiological formation of asphaltic tar and an oxidative threshold at which all but the simplest compounds disappear.Keywords
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