Editing Thioester (section)

===Thioesters and the origin of life===
As posited in a "Thioester World", thioesters are possible precursors to life.<ref>{{ cite journal | author = de Duve, C. | year = 1995 | volume = 83 | issue = 5 | title = The Beginnings of Life on Earth | journal = American Scientist | pages = 428–437 | jstor = 29775520 | url = https://www.jstor.org/stable/29775520 }}</ref> As [[Christian de Duve]] explains:
<blockquote>It is revealing that thioesters are obligatory intermediates in several key processes in which [[Adenosine triphosphate|ATP]] is either used or regenerated. Thioesters are involved in the synthesis of all [[esters]], including those found in complex [[lipid]]s. They also participate in the synthesis of a number of other cellular components, including [[peptide]]s, [[fatty acid]]s, [[sterol]]s, [[terpene]]s, [[porphyrin]]s, and others. In addition, thioesters are formed as key intermediates in several particularly ancient processes that result in the assembly of ATP. In both these instances, the thioester is closer than ATP to the process that uses or yields energy. In other words, thioesters could have actually played the role of ATP in a "thioester world" initially devoid of ATP. Eventually, [these] thioesters could have served to usher in ATP through its ability to support the formation of bonds between [[phosphate group]]s.</blockquote>

However, due to the high free energy change of thioester's hydrolysis and correspondingly their low equilibrium constants, it is unlikely that these compounds could have accumulated abiotically to any significant extent especially in hydrothermal vent conditions.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Chandru|first1=Kuhan|last2=Gilbert|first2=Alexis|last3=Butch|first3=Christopher|last4=Aono|first4=Masashi|last5=Cleaves|first5=Henderson James II|title=The Abiotic Chemistry of Thiolated Acetate Derivatives and the Origin of Life|journal=Scientific Reports|date=21 July 2016|volume=6|issue=29883|pages=29883|doi=10.1038/srep29883|pmid=27443234|pmc=4956751|bibcode=2016NatSR...629883C}}</ref>