Unified reaction pathways for the prebiotic formation of RNA and DNA nucleobases.

The reaction pathways for the prebiotic formation of nucleobases are complex and lead to the formation of a mixture of products. In the past 50 years, there has been a concerted effort for identifying a unified mechanism for the abiotic origin of the biomolecules but with little success. In the present theoretical study, we identified two prominent precursors for the building up of RNA and DNA nucleobases under prebiotic conditions: (a) 1,2-diaminomaleonitrile (DAMN), which is a tetramer of hydrogen cyanide (HCN), and (b) formamide, a hydrolysis product of HCN; it is important to emphasize that HCN is the source of both precursors.