Confirmation-dependent organic phosphor reveals amino acid nanoaggregates in ice with insight for prebiotic chemistry

Hongping Liu, Hao Su, Ning Chen, Baicheng Zhang, Aoyuan Cheng, Xiaoyu Chen, Xuepeng Zhang, Xiaoguo Zhou, Yongxiang Gao (), Wenhui Zhao (), Yi Luo () and Guoqing Zhang ()
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Hongping Liu: University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale
Hao Su: University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei National Laboratory
Ning Chen: University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale
Baicheng Zhang: University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale
Aoyuan Cheng: University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale
Xiaoyu Chen: University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale
Xuepeng Zhang: University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale
Xiaoguo Zhou: University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale
Yongxiang Gao: University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale
Wenhui Zhao: Ningbo University, Department of Physics
Yi Luo: University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale
Guoqing Zhang: University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Freezing-induced enrichment of organic solutes within ice has long been hypothesized to play a pivotal role in prebiotic chemistry and the origins of life, yet direct evidence for the in-ice aggregation of dilute, water-soluble organics has remained elusive. Here, we employ a conformation-sensitive organic phosphor, 2-phenylbenzothiazole iodide (SNI), to uncover the formation of amino-acid nanoaggregates in water ice. Unusual, amino-acid-specific phosphorescence signatures from SNI-guided investigations prompt us to examine the frozen samples with cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), which directly reveals uniform nanoaggregates. These nanoaggregates create distinct local microenvironments that influence the photophysical properties of SNI, inducing distinct ground-state conformations that lead to conformation-dependent phosphorescence. Complementary theoretical calculations, molecular dynamics simulations, and temperature-variable Raman spectra suggest that amino acids, such as alanine, undergo a temperature-dependent proton-transfer process from their ammonium to carboxylate groups, enhancing their hydrophobicity and triggering aggregation upon freezing. This enrichment of amino acids in ice may represent a prerequisite condition for polymerization, offering new insights into how primitive icy environments could have influenced peptide-based prebiotic chemistry.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-65885-8

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