Metal Catalysis Acting on Nitriles in Early Earth Hydrothermal Systems.Hydrothermal systems are areas in which heated fluids and organic molecules rush through basaltic material rich in metals and minerals.  By studying malononitrile and acetonitrile, we examine the effects of metal and mineral nanoparticles on nitrile compounds in anoxic, hydrothermal conditions representing a prebiotic environment of early Earth. 
THERM