Chinese Journal of Organic Chemistry ›› 2026, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (9): 3293-3316.DOI: 10.6023/cjoc202605021 Previous Articles     Next Articles

REVIEW

通往生命起源的化学之路

朱山辉a, 刘天飞a,b,*()   

  1. a 南开大学化学学院 有机新物质创造前沿科学中心 天津 300071
    b 物质绿色创造与制造海河实验室 天津 300192
  • 收稿日期:2026-05-19 修回日期:2026-07-04 发布日期:2026-07-23
  • 通讯作者: 刘天飞
  • 基金资助:
    国家重点研发计划(2022YFB4101800); 国家自然科学基金(22171141); 国家自然科学基金(22193010); 国家自然科学基金(22193014); 全国重点实验室天津市重大专项(25ZXZSSS00700); 及中央高校基本科研业务费(020-63263149)

Chemical Pathways to the Origin of Life

Shanhui Zhua, Tianfei Liua,b,*()   

  1. a State Key Laboratory and Institute of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071
    b Haihe Laboratory of Sustainable Chemical Transformations, Tianjin 300192
  • Received:2026-05-19 Revised:2026-07-04 Published:2026-07-23
  • Contact: Tianfei Liu
  • About author:

    Dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Professor Xikui Jiang.

  • Supported by:
    National Key Research and Development Program of China(2022YFB4101800); National Natural Science Foundation of China(22171141); National Natural Science Foundation of China(22193010); National Natural Science Foundation of China(22193014); Tianjin Major Science and Technology Project for National Key Laboratories(25ZXZSSS00700); Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(020-63263149)

Current popular academic viewpoints on the chemical evolutionary pathways to the origin of life are summarized. It contains possible pathways revealed by exploration of deep-sea geological samples, deep-space observations, and artificial laboratory simulations and experiments, revealing the synthesis of fatty acids, fatty alcohols, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen-, sulfur-, and phosphorus-containing organic compounds from inorganic matters in Earth’s initial environments. It also contains the latest advances in the theory of protocell and experiments for its functional construction based on the theory of the organic molecular aggregation and self-coiling developed by Prof. Xi-Kui Jiang et al., the emergence of rhythmic and periodic orders, self-replication and evolution, and the assembly theory. Finally, the theory of last universal common ancestor and experimental attempts at artificially synthesized cells are also reviewed. It can provide important references for future research on the origin of life and the search for extraterrestrial life.

Key words: the origin of life, hydrophobic-lipophilic interaction, assembly theory, protocell, artificial synthetic cell