Question:
From a thermodynamic perspective, a system "works" whe a source of energy is flowing into it and when the entropy (disorder) of the system is decreased/reduced. Explain how an autocell fulfills these two criteria.

Answer:
An autocell is a combination of two processes: autocatalytic cycle and encapsulation. Essentially, an autocell works by taking in organic molecules from the primal soup that contain energy-rich chemical bonds, and turning them into autocellular components. Encapsulation is important, as it encloses the autocataltic cycle into a defined space, which allows the autocatalytic cycle to make specific cellular components that organize the inside relative to the surroundings. The container is likely imperfect, occasionally breaking and allowing new substrates (energy) in while still retaining the majority of the contents. In this way, an autocell takes in energetic molecules and uses them to do work by organizing the interior of the cell.