Why Is the Absence of Atmospheric Oxygen (O₂) So Important

question 45

Multiple Choice

Why is the absence of atmospheric oxygen (O₂) so important to the Oparin-Haldane hypothesis?

• A) Oxygen is corrosive and thus would have degraded many of the metallic compounds on Earth's surface, releasing toxic gasses into the new atmosphere.
• B) Oxygen is more reduced than hydrogen gas, methane, or ammonia.
• C) Oxygen would have supported microorganisms that promote chemical decay.
• D) Oxygen is able to reverse reactions by removing electrons and hydrogen from organic molecules, thus destroying the first organic compounds as quickly as they developed.
• E) Oxygen would have caused multiple explosions, converting chemical energy into heat energy and rendering that energy unavailable for driving the synthesis of organic molecules.

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