Their initial experiment consisted of a sterilised apparatus in which inorganic nitrogenous compounds ( such as ammonium phosphate and ammonium molybdate ) and organic compounds such as citric acid ( C 6 H 8 O 7 ), paraformaldehyde ( OH ( CH 2 O ) n H ) and formaldehyde ( CH 2 O ) for carbon sources were mixed with minerals commonly found in living cells.
