Kinetic Barriers and the Self‐organization of Life

This review is devoted to an analysis of the consequences of the Eschenmoser view that the origin of life requires a chemical environment held far from equilibrium by kinetic barriers. The corresponding conditions, in which replicating entities comply with a specific form of stability, are considered in terms of temperature and potential sources of energy capable of feeding the system. The need for kinetic irreversibility of reproduction cycles is emphasized as a condition for effective selection. High turnover rates for cyclic processes would facilitate the development of entities capable of reproducing themselves. A preference is given here to processes involving selective catalytic pathways, rather than to a temperature increase likely to preferentially facilitate noncatalytic degradation pathways. Accordingly, emphasis is placed on direct or induced intramolecular pathways. Lastly, energy barriers are considered to help reveal the nature of potential energy carriers.