Borner A. The Chemistry of Biology. Basis and Origin of Evolution 2023

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Chemistry answers the questions of why, among the more than 100 elements of the periodic table (PSE), carbon and not silicon is the dominant element in biology and why precious metals, such as gold and silver, do not play a role. The PSE provides information about why phosphoric acid and not sulfuric acid acts as a bridge in polynucleic acids and why DNA had to evolve from RNA. At the same time, only chemistry makes clear why D-glucose is so central in building biopolymers such as cellulose and glycogen, and why the citrate cycle is logically self-contained and without alternative. Biochemistry is also a synthesis chemistry that differs from "man-made" synthesis chemistry "only" in terms of the framework conditions. Individuals are selected from the multitude of elements of the PSE and the almost infinite number of chemical compounds. The selection is based on the environmental conditions on Earth, such as moderate temperatures, preferably atmospheric pressure, solvent water and as primary reaction partner oxygen.
The Periodic Table of Elements and Basic Consequences for the Structure of Natural Substances and the Course of Biochemical Processes
Extrinsic Properties that Favor the Occurrence of Elements in Biological Context
The Derivatization of Inorganic Compounds with Carbon Residues
The Singular Properties of Carbon as the Basis for the Emergence of Life
From Chemical Structures and Individual Reactions to Complex Biochemical Networks
Determinism, Flexibility, and Contingency in Biochemistry
“Synthetic Chemistry” versus Biochemistry