Confinement and Time Immemorial: Prebiotic Synthesis of Nucleotides on a Porous Mineral Nanoreactor

Here, we report the successful one-pot synthesis of adenosine mono, di and tri phosphate in the confined space of a zeolite. This is also the first report of ATP synthesized onto a porous mineral surface. The results revealed a plausible prebiotic route to ribonucleotides and highlighted the contribution of microporous minerals in the origins of life.