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Chapter 3: Problem 63

Could the primitive atmosphere illustrated by the Urey and Miller experiment be reproduced on today's Earth? Why or why not? a. The primitive atmosphere cannot be created due to the oxidizing atmosphere and lack of hydrogen. b. The primitive atmosphere can be created as the atmosphere is reducing and the Earth has sufficient hydrogen to reproduce the conditions. c. The primitive atmosphere cannot be created due to the presence of abundant water and hydrogen in the atmosphere. d. The primitive atmosphere can be created as the atmosphere is oxidizing and has less of hydrogen.

Short Answer

Expert verified
a. The primitive atmosphere cannot be created due to the oxidizing atmosphere and lack of hydrogen.

Step by step solution

01

Understand the Primitive Atmosphere

The Urey and Miller experiment simulated the conditions of the Earth's primitive atmosphere, which was believed to be reducing (lacking oxygen) and rich in hydrogen, methane, ammonia, and water vapor.
02

Analyze Modern Earth's Atmosphere

Today, Earth's atmosphere is oxidizing, which means it contains a significant amount of oxygen. Additionally, the amount of free hydrogen in the atmosphere is very low compared to the primitive conditions.
03

Compare Conditions

To reproduce the primitive atmosphere of the Urey and Miller experiment, one would need an environment that is reducing and has a high concentration of hydrogen. This is not the current state of Earth's atmosphere.
04

Conclusion

Given the oxidizing nature of the modern atmosphere and the lack of sufficient hydrogen, it is not possible to recreate the primitive atmosphere on today's Earth.

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

primitive atmosphere
Understanding the primitive atmosphere is essential to grasp the conditions on early Earth as simulated by the Urey and Miller experiment. The primitive atmosphere refers to the early Earth's atmosphere, which was very different from what we have today. This atmosphere was thought to be 'reducing,' meaning it was rich in gases like hydrogen, methane, ammonia, and water vapor, but lacked free oxygen. These conditions were crucial for the Urey and Miller experiment, which aimed to understand how organic molecules necessary for life could have formed spontaneously on early Earth.
oxidizing atmosphere
Today's Earth has an oxidizing atmosphere, which contains a significant amount of oxygen (around 21% of the air we breathe). This is in stark contrast to the primitive atmosphere. An oxidizing atmosphere can lead to the formation of oxides and does not support the formation of organic molecules in the same way as a reducing atmosphere does. Oxygen reacts with hydrogen and other gases that were abundant in the primitive atmosphere, preventing the conditions necessary for the Urey and Miller experiment. Hence, creating such a reducing atmosphere on modern Earth is virtually impossible due to these abundant oxygen levels.
reducing atmosphere
A reducing atmosphere is characterized by the absence or low presence of oxygen and a higher concentration of hydrogen and other reducing gases like methane and ammonia. In the context of the Urey and Miller experiment, a reducing atmosphere allowed for the synthesis of organic molecules, such as amino acids, which are the building blocks of life. Without free oxygen, reducing molecules can react easily, enabling the chemical reactions necessary for forming complex organic compounds. However, because the current Earth's atmosphere is oxidizing, it creates a significant barrier to replicating such conditions today.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

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