Dynamics Differences between Minimal Models of Second and First-Order Chemical Self-Replication

Abstract

To further explore the origins of Life, we consider three self-replicating chemical models. In general, models of the origin of Life include molecular components that can self-replicate and achieve exponential growth. Therefore, chemical self-replication is an essential chemical property of any model. The simplest self-replication mechanisms use the molecular product as a template for its synthesis. This mechanism is the so-called First-Order self-replication. Its regulatory limitations make it challenging to develop chemical networks, which are essential in the models of the origins of Life. In Second-Order self-replication, the molecular product forms a catalytic dimer capable of synthesis of the principal molecular product. In contrast with a simple template, the dimers show more flexibility in forming complex chemical networks since the chemical activity of the dimers can be activated or inhibited by the molecular components of the network. Here, we consider three minimal models: the First-Order Model (FOM), the Second-Order Model (SOM), and an Extended Second-Order Model (ESOM). We construct and analyze the mechanistic dimensionless ordinary differential equations (ODEs) associated with the models. The numerical integration of the set of ODEs gives us a visualization of these systems’ oscillatory behavior and compares their capacities for sustained autocatalytic behavior. The FOM model displays more complex oscillatory behavior than the ESOM model.