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Energy Propagation Through a Protometabolism Leading to the Local Emergence of Singular Stationary Concentration Profiles
Author(s) -
Emond Matthieu,
Le Saux Thomas,
Allemand JeanFrancois,
Pelupessy Philippe,
Plasson Raphaël,
Jullien Ludovic
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.201201974
Subject(s) - dissipative system , chemical physics , cascade , diffusion , chemical energy , chemical reaction , energy (signal processing) , energy transfer , mechanics , flux (metallurgy) , stationary state , proton , chemistry , physics , materials science , thermodynamics , chromatography , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics
Living systems rely on chains of energy transfer from an energy source to maintain their metabolism. This task requires functionally identified components and organizations. However, propagation of a sustained energy flux through a cascade of reaction cycles has never been reproduced at a steady state in a simple chemical system. By using energy patterning and a diffusing hub reactant, we achieved the transfer of energy through an abiotic protometabolism. Patterned illumination was applied to a liquid solution of a reversible photoacid. It resulted in the local onset of a proton pump, which subsequently drove an extended reaction–diffusion cycle that involved pH‐sensitive reactants. Thus, light has been used for locally setting out of chemical equilibrium a reaction involving “blind” reactants. The spontaneous onset of an energy‐transfer chain notably drives the local generation of singular dissipative chemical structures; continuous matter fluxes are dynamically maintained at boundaries between spatially and chemically segregated zones, in the absence of any membrane or predetermined material structure.