Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 January 2009
The effects of near ultraviolet (UV) radiation on water solutions of tyrosine and glycine-tyrosine are investigated using a broadband xenon lamp in the region 200–800 nm. These experiments form a contribution in the laboratory simulation of the solar irradiation on the building blocks of life with regard to the origin of life. Results are presented showing the photodecomposition of tyrosine and glycine-tyrosine, at different concentrations, against UV doses. The analysis of the irradiated solutions is carried out by spectroscopic and analytical techniques. The findings of our laboratory simulations are used to constrain the early stages of the life emerging process.