Chemosynthesis is the biological conversion of 1 or more carbon molecules (usually carbon dioxide or methane) and nutrients into organic matter using the oxidation of inorganic molecules (e.g. hydrogen gas, hydrogen sulfide) or methane as a source of energy, rather than sunlight, as in photosynthesis. Large populations of animals can be supported by chemosynthetic primary production at hydrothermal vents, methane clathrates, cold seeps, and whale falls. Chemoautotrophs, organisms that obtain carbon through chemosynthesis, and are responsible for the primary production in oxygen-deficient environments, generally fall into four groups: methanogens, halophiles, sulfur reducers, and thermoacidophiles. Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom. ... Methane is a chemical compound with the molecular formula CH4. ... The most fundamental reactions in chemistry are the redox processes. ... General Name, Symbol, Number hydrogen, H, 1 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 1, 1, s Appearance colorless Atomic mass 1. ... Hydrogen sulfide (hydrogen sulphide in British English) is the chemical compound with the formula H2S. This colorless, toxic and flammable gas is responsible for the foul odor of rotten eggs and flatulence. ... The leaf is the primary site of photosynthesis in plants. ... Global oceanic and terrestrial photoautotroph abundance, from September 1997 to August 2000. ... A hydrothermal vent A hydrothermal vent is a fissure in a planets surface from which geothermally heated water issues. ... Burning ice. Methane, released by heating, burns; water drips (USGS). ... Tubeworms, soft corals and chemosynthetic mussels at a seep located 3,000 metres down on the Florida Escarpment. ... Whale fall is the term used for a whale carcass that has fallen to the ocean floor. ... Flowchart to determine if a species is autotroph, heterotroph, or a subtype Chemotrophs are organisms that obtain energy by the oxidation of electron donating molecules in their environments. ... Life on Earth redirects here. ... Methanogens are archaea that produce methane as a metabolic byproduct in anoxic conditions. ... Halophiles are extremophiles that thrive in environments with very high concentrations of salt (at least 2 M, approximately ten times the salt level of ocean water). ... Sulfur-reducing bacteria specialize in producing energy by reducing elemental sulfur to hydrogen sulfide with hydrogen or organic compounds. ... A thermoacidophile (combination of thermophile and acidophile) is an extreme archaebacteria which thrives in acidous, sulfur rich, high temperature environments. ...

Many microorganisms in dark regions of the oceans use chemosynthesis to produce biomass from 1-carbon molecules. Two categories can be distinguished. In the rare sites at which hydrogen molecules (H₂) are available, the energy available from the reaction between CO₂ and H₂ (leading to production of methane, CH₄) can be large enough to drive the production of biomass. Alternatively, in most oceanic environments, energy for chemosynthesis derives from reactions between O₂ and substances such as hydrogen sulfide or ammonia. In this second case, the chemosynthetic microorganisms are dependent on photosynthesis which occurs elsewhere and which produces the O₂ that they require. Many chemosynthetic microorganisms are consumed by other organisms in the ocean, and symbiotic associations between chemosynthesizers and respiring heterotrophs are quite common. For other uses, see Symbiosis (disambiguation). ...

It has been hypothesized that chemosynthesis may support life below the surface of Mars, Jupiter's moon Europa, and other planets. Adjectives: Martian Atmosphere Surface pressure: 0. ... For other uses, see Jupiter (disambiguation). ... Apparent magnitude: 5. ...

Hydrogen sulfide chemosynthesis - CO₂+O₂+4{H₂S}→CH₂O+4{S}+3{H₂O}

Note that the CH₂O (carbohydrate) is used as the food source. Lactose is a disaccharide found in milk. ...

Hydrogen sulfide chemosynthesis - 6{CO₂}+6{H₂O}+3{H₂S}→C₆H₁₂O₆+3{H₂SO₄}

Molecular nanotechnology

The term chemosynthesis is also used in molecular nanotechnology to refer to any chemical synthesis where reactions occur due to random thermal motion, a class which encompasses almost all of modern synthetic chemistry. This is contrasted with mechanosynthesis, a hypothetical process where individual molecules are mechanically manipulated to control reactions. Molecular nanotechnology (MNT) is the concept of engineering functional mechanical systems at the molecular scale. ... In chemistry, chemical synthesis is purposeful execution of chemical reactions in order to get a product, or several products. ... For other uses, see Chemical reaction (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with mechanochemistry. ... 3D (left and center) and 2D (right) representations of the terpenoid molecule atisane. ...

Bibliography

• "The Origin of Life and Evolution." 100 Greatest Discoveries. TVO. CICA, Ottawa. 16 Jan. 2007, 19h00. This film discusses life, evolution and extinction. For more information see IMDB.

See also

• Autotroph
• Heterotroph