During this semilab, we will reproduce the famous Urey–Miller experiment, which demonstrated the possible formation of amino acids—the building blocks of all living organisms—under conditions that mimic those on primordial Earth. Although this experiment did not provide a definitive answer to the origin of life on our planet, it represented a major step forward in understanding how life may have emerged.
We will assemble the Urey–Miller apparatus, run the experiment, and analyze the products. In doing so, we will learn several important methods for analyzing complex mixtures of organic compounds.