<< 
      Nevertheless, there is no reason in principle why "mineral" hydrogen,
which could be generated chemically from water, might not act as a primary
energy source independent of sunlight, supporting an ecology based wholly on
chemosynthesis. Such a process, based on the geochemical decomposition of
water, has been suggested as a means of supporting deep subterranean
microbial life, but the basic chemistry remains speculative. A comparable
process could conceivably support life on a warm, wet celestial body,
perhaps even on our distant neighbour Europa, one of the Jovian moons.
 >>


TH
I think there is a reason why this couldn't work.
To get to the heart of it , we should ask why would
any chemicals start metabolism? There is no reason.

The only plausible idea is that chemicals had energy continually forced on them
- and they reacted in
novel ways that we call life (or in the other two ways: they were burned up or
they were inert and did not change).

With that in mind the sources for that forced energy
that changed (later chemically 'evolved') to metabolism is extremely limited.

And at the top of that list is the sun/uv/heat cycle.

Therefore to get the forced  and continual, and never
ending energy on a chemical soup
that led to forced metabolism , you would almost always have to have a
sun/uv/heat  non-random heat cycle behind it.

And same with replication another aspect of forced heat.
Instead of SELF repication, look for sun/heat/uv forced replication

Life is the echo not the voice.

Tom
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