At the molecular level, there have been many jumps in types of chemical processes. The first appearance of photosynthesis would be an example of such a jump. I think that McFadden makes a very good case in his book that the evolution of self-replicating molecules is far from understood. Here we have a series of mathematical theorems and a few experiments. The experiments show that carefully constructed quantum systems can behave in ways which are somewhat related to the kind of behaviour that McFadden requires.
Biological systems are fundamentally warm and wet.
Molecules float from collision to collision until, when they find the right enzyme or other partner, they find a free energy gradient down which they can fall. The molecules are transformed, and their successors go off for new adventures. Usually such systems only impose control at the level of individual atomic bindings. Cases such as photosynthesis, in which specific molecular energy levels are controlled, are much rarer. McFadden's proposals, however, involve the biological control of specific quantum states of multi-molecular systems.