An abiotic source of Archean hydrogen peroxide and oxygen that pre-dates oxygenic photosynthesis

The evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis is a pivotal event in Earth’s history because the O(2) released fundamentally changed the planet’s redox state and facilitated the emergence of multicellular life. An intriguing hypothesis proposes that hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) once acted as the electron donor prior to the evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis, but its abundance during the Archean would have been limited. Here, we report a previously unrecognized abiotic pathway for Archean H(2)O(2) production that involves the abrasion of quartz surfaces and the subsequent generation of surface-bound radicals that can efficiently oxidize H(2)O to H(2)O(2) and O(2). We propose that in turbulent subaqueous environments, such as rivers, estuaries and deltas, this process could have provided a sufficient H(2)O(2) source that led to the generation of biogenic O(2), creating an evolutionary impetus for the origin of oxygenic photosynthesis.