From Prebiotic Catalysts to Modern Applications: How Early Catalysts Inspire Today's Innovations

Catalysis underlies both the emergence of early chemical systems and the development of modern functional materials. While contemporary catalysts often rely on highly optimized active sites and precise molecular control, prebiotic chemistry demonstrates that catalytic activity can arise from chemically simple components operating under harsh and poorly regulated conditions. In this review, prebiotic catalytic systems are examined as a source of general molecular features rather than as isolated reactions specific to early Earth. Catalytic functions exhibited by small molecules, short peptides, metal ions, minerals, and hybrid assemblies are sueveyed. Molecular features that support emergent catalytic behavior, including reactive functional groups, self-assembly, coordination-driven hybridization, and material-level robustness are highlighted. It is shown how these same features are increasingly reflected in modern catalytic materials, including supramolecular systems, self-assembled catalysts, and coordination-based hybrid architectures. By emphasizing organization and cooperation over molecular complexity, this review provides a conceptual framework linking prebiotic catalysis with the rational design of functional materials.