Natural minerals help break down organic phosphates

Phosphorus is a key element for all life on Earth. For decades, researchers thought that, in nature, only enzymes could transform organic phosphorus—phosphates within biomolecules—into its bioavailable, inorganic form , free phosphate ions. Minerals in sediment and soil were thought to only adsorb phosphorus, not participate in the dephosphorylation reaction. But now, new research shows that naturally occurring iron oxide minerals also act as catalysts ( Nat. Commun. 2024, DOI: 10.1038 /s41467-024-47931-z ). The work began years ago, when lead researcher Ludmilla Aristilde , an environmental chemist at Northwestern University, designed an initial experiment to follow the dephosphorylation products that developed when adenosine triphosphate was mixed with pure ferrihydrite, an iron oxide mineral commonly found in soil. Using high-resolution mass spectrometry, the team was able to search for more than just phosphorus, the only target in past experiments. This expertise paid off; the team found organic products—adenosine diphosphate, adenosine monophosphate,