Abstract
AbstractCan simple chemistry drive the emergence of self‐organised complex behaviours? Addressing this big‐picture question crucially impacts the comprehension of fundamental mechanisms at the basis of stationary and dynamical spatio‐temporal chemical patterns which represent an integral part of Origin of Life studies and morphogenesis. This is also of paramount importance in cutting‐edge approaches for the design and control of bio‐inspired self‐organised functional materials as well as for understanding how complex biological networks work. So far, spontaneous chemical self‐organisation has constituted the realm of Nonlinear Chemistry. Oscillations, waves, Turing structures have been typically obtained in systems characterised by a complex network of nonlinear reactions activated on appropriate relative timescales. Here we revisit the emergence of oscillatory dynamics in systems characterised by a kinetics as simple and general as a bimolecular process, provided that it is actively coupled with transport phenomena, in the absence of any nonlinear or external kinetic feedback. We also present new numerical experiments to substantiate and clarify the minimal ingredients underlying these complex dynamics. The objective of this paper is to discuss chemo‐hydrodynamics as a possible mechanism for activating self‐organised structures and functional behaviours in contexts characterised by a minimal chemistry like prebiotic conditions. In this view, we also highlight the necessity to include convective phenomena in the paradigm of Systems Chemistry.
Highlights
Systems chemistry is rapidly learning from nature how complex mixtures of interacting molecules can bear collective emerging properties not deducible as a simple sum of the single components behaviours
Molecular diffusion in combination with nonlinear kinetics has become implicit in morphogenesis and spontaneous formation of patterns,[4,5] convection and hydrodynamics flows are often regarded as an undesirable complication to be removed from the scene
We have presented and reviewed the crucial contribution that convective motions coupled to chemical processes may bring to disciplines like origin of life studies, chemobrionics and systems chemistry
Summary
Systems chemistry is rapidly learning from nature how complex mixtures of interacting molecules can bear collective emerging properties not deducible as a simple sum of the single components behaviours. Common opinion is that conditions for Life to emerge lie at the intersection between physics and chemistry.[19] This is the reason why the scientific investigation on this fascinating topic involves the synergy of different expertise from several disciplines among which chemistry plays a prominent role.[20] One of the focuses of abiogenetic theories is understanding, from a synthetic point of view, the transition from simple inorganic compounds of Earth’s early atmosphere (methane, hydrogen, ammonia, etc.) to complex organic molecules relevant to life.[21] In parallel, a more theoretical approach tries to understand how chemical processes can trigger self-organisation and emergent behaviours that can be involved in the minimal functionalities and traits of alive matter[22] In this respect, two concepts that we will review below seem to be essential prerequisites for the development of order from disorder:[21] compartmentalisation and nonlinear kinetics (in far-from-equilibrium conditions). Prigogine, used to say, Matter out of equilibrium begins to see, and nonlinear science provides fundamental keys for understanding how biological complexity may have developed from inorganic chemistry.[5,23,24]
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