The Chemical Definition of the Essence of Life

Through macroscopic analysis, this study demonstrates that proteins and nucleic acids within living organisms form an “automatically perpetual self-synthesizing cycle”. All components within a lifeform serve to sustain this cyclic synthesis. Thus, the essence of life can be chemically defined as follows: “Life is an automatically perpetual self-synthesizing cycle composed of specific proteins and nucleic acids.” Life has existed on Earth for billions of years. While scientists have extensively mapped the biochemical components and metabolic processes within living systems, the fundamental essence of life remains elusive. Descriptions of life’s chemical composition and phenomena do not equate to understanding its essence. Current scientific definitions of life remain vague. Life is a persistent, repetitive phenomenon of synthesizing identical organic compounds, requiring continuous energy input. This process warrants a precise chemical definition. This paper employs macroscopic analytical reasoning to summarize overarching principles of biochemical reactions, aiming to elucidate the chemical essence of life. For clarity, simple single-celled prokaryotes (e.g., Escherichia coli) are selected as representative models.