Self-Similar Patterns from Abiotic Decarboxylation Metabolism through Chemically Oscillating Reactions: A Prebiotic Model for the Origin of Life

Abstract

The origin of life must have included an abiotic stage of carbon redox reactions that involved electron transport chains and the production of lifelike patterns. Chemically oscillating reactions (COR) are abiotic, spontaneous, out-of-equilibrium, and redox reactions that involve the decarboxylation of carboxylic acids with strong oxidants and strong acids to produce CO2 and characteristic self-similar patterns. Those patterns have circular concentricity, radial geometries, characteristic circular twins, colour gradients, cavity structures, and branching to parallel alignment. We propose that COR played a role during the prebiotic cycling of carboxylic acids, furthering the new model for geology where COR can also explain the patterns of diagenetic spheroids in sediments. The patterns of COR in Petri dishes are first considered and compared to those observed in some eukaryotic lifeforms. The molecular structures and functions of reactants in COR are then compared to key biological metabolic processes. We conclude that the newly recognised similarities in compositions and patterns warrant future research to better investigate the role of halogens in biochemistry; COR in life-forms, including in humans; and the COR-stage of prebiotic carbon cycling on other planets, such as Mars.

Chemically Oscillating Reactions as a New Model for the Formation of Mineral Patterns in Agate Geodes and Concretions

“…Compared with the prebiotic carbon cycle, COR also involve sustained reaction networks under out-of-equilibrium conditions, the net production of energy through diffusion and electron transport chains, abiotic proto-electron transport chains, the generation of self-similar patterns, and the oxidation of Fe and carboxylic acid along with the production of haematite and CO 2 . The COR model is thus also applicable for a key step in the origin of life [44] and becomes part of a temporal and spatial continuum of fractal patterns in nature. This now establishes broad correlations of objects with multiple scales of self-similar patterns and size, evolving where similar types of substances occur as reactants and over various timescales, including pre-life and prebiotic chemistry, life and biochemistry, and lastly, post-life and taphonomy.…”

“…Pyruvate (an α-keto acid) can subsequently enter the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA cycle) during which decarboxylation occurs, which yields both energy (i.e., ATP and NADH) and CO 2 in a cyclic fashion that repeats until the reactants are depleted. This is analogous to COR because in the TCA cycle: 1-electron transfers with redox changes occur, 2-CO 2 is produced during the decarboxylation of organic acids, 3-self-similar patterns spontaneously and randomly appear on metazoans, and 4-Fe or other cationic catalysts are involved in the auto-catalysis of the reaction, such that both the TCA cycle and COR express different versions of the same oscillatory process [44]. Hence, COR might explain the 'vitality' of life, whereby life-forms require electron donors and acceptors, and the spontaneous reactions work in concert to perpetuate characteristic cellular self-similar patterns until they run out of electron donors or electron acceptors.…”

“…Bromine, iodine, and chlorine are all essential trace elements for animals and many microorganisms, although their exact biochemical functions in the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems are not fully elucidated. However, many patterns made by metazoans adopt morphologies geometrically like those observed in COR [44]. Hence, there also exists a connection between COR and metabolic biochemistry, which has led to an abiotic model for pattern-forming abiotic carbon metabolism.…”

Why is Abiogenesis Such a Tough Nut to Crack?

“…Papineau et al [48] proposed that Chemically Oscillating Reactions (COR) played a role during the prebiotic cycling of carboxylic acids, furthering the new model for geology where COR can also explain the patterns of diagenetic spheroids in sediments. CORs are abiotic, spontaneous, out-ofequilibrium, redox reactions that involve the decarboxylation of carboxylic acids with strong oxidants and strong acids to produce CO2 and characteristic self-similar patterns.…”

An investigative study into an oscillatory reaction in acoustically levitated droplets

“…Oscillatory chemical reactions have applications ranging from analysis 24 to synthesis 25 and actuating 26 smart materials to studying origin of life. 27…”