Hans Rytger Kricheldorf was born in Freiburg i.Br. (Germany) in 1942 and completed his PhD in polymer chemistry at the University of Freiburg in 1969. After succeeding with the tenure in 1975 he became associate professor at the same university in 1980. Since 1982 he worked at the University of Hamburg as a full professor of macromolecular chemistry until his retirement in 2008. He has published more than 800 research articles and he has edited or written numerous books dealing with polymer science, material science or history of the natural sciences. Today he devotes himself to his hobby of taking a historical look at the natural sciences.

• Chapter 1 Introduction.- Chapter 2 Hypotheses and birthplaces of the chemical evolution.- Chapter 3 The polymerization processes of the chemical evolution.- Chapter4 Model Syntheses of Amino Acids.- Chapter 5 Model syntheses of saccharides, nucleobases, nucleosides and nucleotides.- Chapter 6 Model syntheses of oligopeptides and polypeptides.- Chapter 7 Model syntheses of oligo- and polynucleotides.- Chapter 8 Copolymerization, Self-reproduction and the genetic code.- Chapter 9 The message from space.- Chapter 10 The problem of homochirality.- Chapter 11 Summary and conclusions.

Hans Rytger Kricheldorf was born in Freiburg i.Br. (Germany) in 1942 and completed his PhD in polymer chemistry at the University of Freiburg in 1969. After succeeding with the tenure in 1975 he became associate professor at the same university in 1980. Since 1982 he worked at the University of Hamburg as a full professor of macromolecular chemistry until his retirement in 2008. He has published more than 800 research articles and he has edited or written numerous books dealing with polymer science, material science or history of the natural sciences. Today he devotes himself to his hobby of taking a historical look at the natural sciences.

• Chapter 1 Introduction.- Chapter 2 Hypotheses and birthplaces of the chemical evolution.- Chapter 3 The polymerization processes of the chemical evolution.- Chapter4 Model Syntheses of Amino Acids.- Chapter 5 Model syntheses of saccharides, nucleobases, nucleosides and nucleotides.- Chapter 6 Model syntheses of oligopeptides and polypeptides.- Chapter 7 Model syntheses of oligo- and polynucleotides.- Chapter 8 Copolymerization, Self-reproduction and the genetic code.- Chapter 9 The message from space.- Chapter 10 The problem of homochirality.- Chapter 11 Summary and conclusions.

Hans Rytger Kricheldorf was born in Freiburg i.Br. (Germany) in 1942 and completed his PhD in polymer chemistry at the University of Freiburg in 1969. After succeeding with the tenure in 1975 he became associate professor at the same university in 1980. Since 1982 he worked at the University of Hamburg as a full professor of macromolecular chemistry until his retirement in 2008. He has published more than 800 research articles and he has edited or written numerous books dealing with polymer science, material science or history of the natural sciences. Today he devotes himself to his hobby of taking a historical look at the natural sciences.

• Chapter 1 Introduction.- Chapter 2 Hypotheses and birthplaces of the chemical evolution.- Chapter 3 The polymerization processes of the chemical evolution.- Chapter4 Model Syntheses of Amino Acids.- Chapter 5 Model syntheses of saccharides, nucleobases, nucleosides and nucleotides.- Chapter 6 Model syntheses of oligopeptides and polypeptides.- Chapter 7 Model syntheses of oligo- and polynucleotides.- Chapter 8 Copolymerization, Self-reproduction and the genetic code.- Chapter 9 The message from space.- Chapter 10 The problem of homochirality.- Chapter 11 Summary and conclusions.