Imperial College London

Henry Rzepa

The Wikipedia entry on
[peroxydisulfate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peroxydisulfate) is
quite short (as of today). But I suspect this article may change
things.\[cite\]10.1038/s41559-017-0083\[/cite\].

[![](http://www.ch.ic.ac.uk/rzepa/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/peroxydisulfate-page001.svg){.aligncenter
.size-large .wp-image-17765 decoding="async"
width="200"}](http://www.ch.ic.ac.uk/rzepa/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/peroxydisulfate-page001.svg)

A search of the Cambridge structure database reveals around 18 high
quality crystal structures containing this species are known, many as
metal salts.

![](http://www.ch.ic.ac.uk/rzepa/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/157-1024x364.jpg){.aligncenter
.size-large .wp-image-17767 loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="450"
height="160"
srcset="https://www.ch.ic.ac.uk/rzepa/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/157-1024x364.jpg 1024w, https://www.ch.ic.ac.uk/rzepa/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/157-300x107.jpg 300w, https://www.ch.ic.ac.uk/rzepa/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/157-768x273.jpg 768w, https://www.ch.ic.ac.uk/rzepa/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/157.jpg 1852w"
sizes="(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px"}

The article\[cite\]10.1038/s41559-017-0083\[/cite\] reports that "*in
the presence of sulfate radicals generated from peroxydisulfate*,* the
(*Krebs cycle*) intermediates underwent 24 interconversion reactions*"
covering "*the critical topology of the oxidative Krebs cycle, the
glyoxylate shunt and the succinic-semialdehyde pathway*". The suggestion
therefore is that these crucial metabolic  reactions may have existed
before life itself absorbed them into the [oxidative Krebs
cycle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citric_acid_cycle). The [challenge
now](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Lane) is to explain how or if
the more ancient [reductive Krebs
cycle](http://basic-microbiology.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/reductive-tca-cycle.html) (which
[fixes carbon
dioxide](http://www.ch.imperial.ac.uk/rzepa/blog/?p=12395)) might have
arisen prebiotically. More exciting stuff to come I fancy.

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The Wikipedia entry on peroxydisulfate is quite short (as of today). But I suspect this article may change things.[cite]10.1038/s41559-017-0083[/cite].      A search of the Cambridge structure database reveals around 18 high quality crystal structures containing this species are known, many as metal salts.

Rogue Scholar Beiträge

Peroxydisulfate – “enables a non-enzymatic Krebs cycle precursor”