The origin of organic substances and the resulting development
of life are one of the most difficult questions to elucidate
and the most discussed on a scientific level.The production of
these substances, from water with carbon dioxide and nitrogen,
is, in fact, an endo-energetic phenomonen: the reduction of
these gases, which were part of the primitive atmosphere of our
planet, require a large supply of energy at vital temperatures,
i.e. below 100 celsius degrees.From where did this energy arise,
and how did it act? According to Miller's theory, the most
commonly accepted, this energy was supplied by electrical discharges
(and ozonisation?). It was possible to partially reproduce this
phenomonen in the laboratory. However, the origin of these
discharges remains purely hypothetical ...In our opinion, a more
plausible explanation could exist: the release of the necessary
energy is simply due to the evaporation of water from the earth's
surface. Laboratory experiments that support this theory were
submitted to the Paris Academy of Sciences in November 1987 (stamped
envelope No. 16705), but have not yet been published.The main points
are as follows:
1. An aqueous solution of magnesium chloride (MgCl2) and of
sodium nitrite (NaNO2), spread out under a bell with the air
replaced by carbon dioxide (CO2), produces a mixture of acetic
acid and oxalic acid at 25 degrees. This phenomenon only occurs
if the CO2 is in the gaseous phase, and if its yield is the
direct function of the contact surface of this gaseous phase
with the tray on which the MgCl2 is placed. The yield is also
favoured by connecting the tray to the negative pole of a 9-volt
electric battery.
2. The formation of acetic acid (but not oxalic acid) can
still be observed if the MgCl2 is replaced by potassium or sodium
bicarbonate. There is thus a simultaneous production of
polyalcohols in C6 and of gums. These compound substances can be
produced in large quantities (25 mg for 100 ml) and serve as a
medium for the development of living beings, such as Candida-type
yeasts, whose multiplication can thus be doubled, tripled, or
even quadrupled, according to the experimental conditions.
The same phenomenon can be reproduced by replacing the potassium
and sodium bicarbonate with either potassium or sodium chloride,
or with diluted sea water, which contains these two salts naturally.
3. Thermotrophic micro-organisms, capable of directly using
the energy supplied by the evaporation of water, could thus exist:
bacteria can, in fact, develop in the dark on the surface of strips,
in an environment deprived of nitrogen or of all salts whose oxidation
could supply energy (P. Beraud, Arch. Soc. Biol., Montevideo,
1960, 25; 86-89).
In conclusion, all the phenomena described above, which lead to the
formation of organic substances indispensable for life, seem to be
linked to the evaporation of water. They are only produced at the
interface CO2/aqueous salt solution. They are no doubt accompanied
by the production of electrons that favour the reduction phenomenon,
and that explain the catalyst effect of a negative electric current.
Pierre Beraud Agricultural Engineer
