Research Project M.O. Saar

When silicate-rich rocks fracture under mechanical stress, a portion of the mechanical energy can be transformed into chemical potential via the formation of reactive radicals. These radicals may generate molecular hydrogen and oxygen upon interacting with water, potentially contributing to the synthesis of life’s molecular building blocks and creating chemical environments conducive to biological complexity. The hydrogen also serves as a biologically usable energy form, while the oxygen is a readily usable oxidant. This project aims to experimentally verify the proposed mechanochemical reaction cycle, identify its key controlling parameters, and quantify the mechanoradical pathway through a series of controlled laboratory experiments. 

Abstract

The availability of molecular hydrogen and oxygen in aqueous environments is fundamental to the origin, persistence, and evolution of life toward greater complexity. When subjected to sustained mechanical deformation, silicate-rich rocks may drive a continuous reaction cycle involving radical formation, water redox reactions, and silanol condensation—potentially generating hydrogen and oxygen in situ. This project aims to validate this mechanochemical cycle and quantify its reaction kinetics. We will integrate controlled laboratory experiments with advanced chemical analyses—including electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and gas chromatography (GC)—to monitor radical formation, gas production, and water-radical reaction pathways. The results will provide critical insights into natural hydrogen and oxygen generation due to mechanical deformation, caused by tectonics, tidal forces, or impacts, and its role in enabling and sustaining subsurface life on Earth and other celestial bodies. The project also has implications for detecting natural hydrogen as an energy resource.