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I want to create a world where everything revolves around cobalt and I was wondering if there are autotrophs that receive energy due to chemosynthesis involving cobalt compounds, is it possible?

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  • $\begingroup$ Please clarify your specific problem or provide additional details to highlight exactly what you need. As it's currently written, it's hard to tell exactly what you're asking. $\endgroup$
    – Community Bot
    Commented Feb 5, 2022 at 16:44
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    $\begingroup$ @Community - Is that you, Bot? This is a straight up question of fact in the service of worldbuilding: cobalt containing biomolecules and energy metabolism. Lets see... $\endgroup$
    – Willk
    Commented Feb 5, 2022 at 17:28

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I can't find any extant examples, cobalt rich environments are pretty rare on Earth these days so that doesn't surprise me. It should be possible for a pathway from CoO (Co+2) to CoO(OH)3 (Co+3) to be used in the same way that Iron Oxidising Bacteria use the Fe+2->Fe+3 conversion for metabolic energy but I'm not sure of the exact chemistry and energy of that exchange so it may not be sufficiently efficient.

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