Origin-of-life chemistry is a problem of chemical composability
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Life is usually described by biological functions such as metabolism, replication and evolution. A complementary chemical question lies upstream: what properties of a chemical world make such functions physically realizable? No single interaction strength, solvent property or temperature can answer this because persistence, exchange, reaction, transport and driven organization impose competing requirements. Compatibility may occur under one condition or across an ordered environmental history, provided useful states survive between stages. Autonomy emerges not through environmental independence, but as more constraints coordinating chemical flux are generated and maintained by the system itself. We propose a chemistry-first diagnostic programme mapping molecular failure modes, constructive trajectories and system-generated constraints across scales, from molecular interactions to reaction networks and selfmaintaining organization.
Source: ChemRxiv
Author: Hengyue Xu
Institutions: The University of Melbourne, Tsinghua University
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7213533669