Influence of Silicate Rock Glass Compositions on the Efficacy of Prebiotic RNA Polymerization Reactions: The Case of 3',5' Cyclic Guanosine Monophosphate

Silicate glasses are ubiquitous on terrestrial planets wherever molten rock - generated by volcanism or impacts - is quenched by air or water. Hence, they provided ready and abundant reactive solid surfaces for prebiotic chemistry on the early Earth. Here, we show that rock glass composition determines basicity, which in turn modulates the outcome of prebiotic synthetic processes such as the polymerization of 3', 5' cyclic guanosine monophosphate.