Synthesis of Amino Acids by the Heating of Formaldehyde and Ammonia

The heating of formaldehyde and ammonia yields a product that, on hydrolysis, is converted into seven amino acids: aspartic acid, glutamic acid, serine, proline, valine, glycine, and alanine. Glycine is the predominant amino acid. Inasmuch as formaldehyde and ammonia have been identified as compounds in galactic clouds, these experimental results are interpreted in a cosmochemical and geochemical context.