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Review
. 2009 Apr 22;10(4):1853-1871.
doi: 10.3390/ijms10041853.

On the free energy that drove primordial anabolism

Michael Kaufmann  1
Affiliations
Review

On the free energy that drove primordial anabolism

Michael Kaufmann. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

A key problem in understanding the origin of life is to explain the mechanism(s) that led to the spontaneous assembly of molecular building blocks that ultimately resulted in the appearance of macromolecular structures as they are known in modern biochemistry today. An indispensable thermodynamic prerequisite for such a primordial anabolism is the mechanistic coupling to processes that supplied the free energy required. Here I review different sources of free energy and discuss the potential of each form having been involved in the very first anabolic reactions that were fundamental to increase molecular complexity and thus were essential for life.

Keywords: Free Energy; Origin of Life; Primordial Anabolism.

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