Thioesters, phosphorolysis

Fig. 7.8 Two examples of important reactions in the thioester world a the phosphorolysis of thioesters leads to acylphosphates and b a-ketoadds are formed in the reductive cleavage of thioesters with accompanying carbonylation (de Duve, 1991)...

According to de Duve, thioesters on the young Earth were capable of a broad spectrum of chemical reactions for example, of phosphorolysis leading to acylphos-phates (Fig. 7.8a) or of reductive thioester cleavage, which (after carbonylation) made possible the synthesis of ketoacids (Fig. 7.8b). 

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