the first molecules

an ocean full of possibilities

with the appearance of the oceans, the earth stopped being just a hostile planet.

now there was an environment where complex chemical reactions could occur.

water, minerals and the energy of the environment began to interact.

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chaotic chemistry

primitive oceans were very different from current ones.

they contained large amounts of:

• dissolved minerals
• volcanic gases
• simple chemical compounds

all of this in a hot, unstable and energy-filled environment.

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energy sources

> energy on primitive earth: lightning, volcanoes and internal heat

to form new molecules, energy is needed.

on primitive earth, that energy was everywhere:

• constant lightning in the atmosphere
• intense volcanic activity
• heat coming from the planet’s interior

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the first organic molecules

under these conditions, more complex molecules began to form.

some of them were basic organic compounds, such as:

• amino acids
• nucleotides
• other precursor molecules

they were not life, but they were its fundamental pieces.

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a crucial step

> representation of the formation of organic molecules in primitive oceans

the appearance of these molecules marked a key point.

for the first time, matter not only existed, but began to organize itself.

the earth was increasingly closer to hosting life.

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towards life

from these molecules, increasingly complex structures would emerge.

the next step would be even more extraordinary.

the appearance of the first forms of life.