Abstract
This review is devoted to an analysis of the consequencesof the Eschenmoser view that the origin of life requiresa chemical environment held far from equilibrium bykinetic barriers. The corresponding conditions, in which replicatingentities comply with a specific form of stability, areconsidered in terms of temperature and potential sources ofenergy capable of feeding the system. The need for kineticirreversibility of reproduction cycles is emphasized as a conditionfor effective selection. High turnover rates for cyclicprocesses would facilitate the development of entities capableof reproducing themselves. A preference is given here toprocesses involving selective catalytic pathways, rather thanto a temperature increase likely to preferentially facilitatenoncatalytic degradation pathways. Accordingly, emphasis isplaced on direct or induced intramolecular pathways. Lastly,energy barriers are considered to help reveal the nature ofpotential energy carriers.