Hydrothermal reactions of pyruvic acid: Synthesis, selection, and self-assembly of amphiphilic molecules

Selection and self-assembly of organic compounds in aqueous phases must have been a primary process leading to emergent molecular complexity and ultimately to the origin of life. Facile reactions of pyruvic acid under hydrothermal conditions produce a complex mixture of larger organic molecules, some of which are amphiphiles that readily self-assemble into cell-sized vesicular structures. Chemical characterization of major components of this mixture reveals similarities to the suite of organic compounds present in the Murchison carbonaceous chondrite, some of whose molecules also self-assemble into membranous vesicles. Physical properties of the products are thus relevant to understanding the prebiotic emergence of molecular complexity. These results suggest that a robust family of prebiotic reaction pathways produces similar products over a range of geochemical and astrochemical environments.