Photochemical Synthesis of amino acids
In 1954 Bahadur observed that if a sterilized aqueous mixture containing paraformaldehyde as a source of organic carbon, a source of fixed nitrogen and colloidal inorganic catalysts commonly found in soil is exposed to sunlight or artificial light glycine and alanine are synthesized with other natural amino acids. The formation of amino acid has also been observed in the mixture which had no initial fixed nitrogen hence molecular nitrogen is fixed and appears as amino acids.
Photochemical Synthesis of peptides
The formation of peptides by the combination of amino acid is another step in abiogenesis.
Bahadur and Ranganayaki reported the photochemical formation of peptides in aqueous mixture containing amino acids, organic carbon as energy source and colloidal inorganic catalyst.
Such sterilized mixtures on exposure to sunlight or artificial light show the formation of a mixture of peptides. The amino acid used undergoes photolytic decomposition also and the decomposition products recombine forming new natural amino acids and peptides formation using these amino acids takes place.
Conversion of solar energy to chemical energy.
It has also been observed by Bahadur that a molybdenum complex shows a reversible photochemical transformation. A sterilized mixture of molybdic acid 0.005 percent (w/v) and Para formaldehyde 0.5 percent (w/v) when exposed to sunlight or artificial light turns blue after few days of exposure. And when the blue mixture, if covered with thick black cloth and kept in dark becomes colorless again. This process can be repeated a number of times till the pH of the mixture decreases considerably. During the exposure to light the molybdic form of molybdenum is reduced to molybdous form and blue color is produced. In appropriate chemical enviroment ous form of molybdenum is oxidized to colorless i.e. form again in dark and becomes ready to receive further quanta of light.