Recently in the Astrochemistry Category

At the low temperatures (∼10 K) and high densities (∼100,000 H₂ molecules per cc) of molecular cloud cores and protostellar envelopes, a large amount of molecular species (in particular those containing C and O) freeze-out onto dust grain surfaces.

We study the chemical evolution of H₂O:CO:NH₃ ice mixtures irradiated with soft X-rays, in the range 250-1250 eV. We identify many nitrogen-bearing molecules such as e.g., OCN-, NH₄⁺ , HNCO, CH₃CN, HCONH₂, and NH₂COCONH₂.

Non-thermal desorption from icy grains containing H₂CO has been invoked to explain the observed H2CO gas phase abundances in ProtoPlanetary Disks (PPDs) and Photon Dominated Regions (PDRs).

Formic acid (HCOOH) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) are simple species that have been detected in the interstellar medium.

A number of recent experimental studies have shown that solid-state complex organic molecules (COMs) can form under conditions that are relevant to the CO freeze-out stage in dense clouds.

Two cosmochemists at Arizona State University have made the first-ever measurements of water contained in samples from the surface of an asteroid. The samples came from asteroid Itokawa and were collected by the Japanese space probe Hayabusa.

Since the Archean, N2 has been a major atmospheric constituent in Earth's atmosphere.

Iram 30-m Observations towards eight protostellar outflow sources were taken in the 96-176 GHz range. Transitions of CH₃OH and CH₃CHO were detected in seven of them.

Recent advances in laboratory spectroscopy lead to the claim of ionized Buckminsterfullerene (C60+) as the carrier of two diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) in the near-infrared.

Cyanogen (NCCN) is the simplest member of the dicyanopolyynes group, and has been proposed as a major source of the CN radical observed in cometary atmospheres. Although not detected through its rotational spectrum in the cold interstellar medium, this very stable species is supposed to be very abundant.