Molecular complexity in the interstellar medium (ISM) poses one of the most intriguing challenges in astrochemistry: how can chemical reactions operate efficiently under the extreme physical conditions of space?
interstellar ice
Posted inAnalog Studies, Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Broadband Infrared Spectroscopy Of Methanol Isotopologues In pure, H2O-rich, And CO-rich Ice Analogues
Deuterium fractionation is highly efficient during the early stages of star formation, particularly in starless and prestellar cores where temperatures are low (<10 K) and molecular freeze-out onto dust grains […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Atom Addition Formation of Thionylimide (HNSO) on Interstellar Dust Grains: Chemical Routes Requiring Oxygen And Nitrogen Atom Surface Diffusion
We investigate the formation of the recently detected HNSO molecule using quantum chemical calculations on ices and astrochemical models in tandem.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Status Report
Abiotic Formation Of Nitrile Precursors To Amino Acids And Nucleobases In Interstellar Ice Analogues
Amino acids and the five canonical nucleobases have been identified in carbonaceous meteorites such as Murchison and Murray; however, their formation mechanisms under interstellar conditions have remained largely elusive.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Identification Of Solid N2O In Interstellar Ices Using Open JWST Data
Context. There are only six molecules containing N-O bond that are detected in gaseous phase in interstellar medium. One of those is nitrous oxide (N2O), which was searched for but […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Chemical Modeling Of Aminoketene, Ethanolamine, And Glycine Production In Interstellar Ices
Icy interstellar dust grains are a source of complex organic molecule (COM) production, although their formation mechanisms are debated.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
The Interstellar Heritage Of Comets
Comets have similar compositions to interstellar medium ices, suggesting at least some of their molecules maybe inherited from an earlier stage of evolution.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Radiation, Status Report
X-ray Photodesorption Of Complex Organic Molecules In Protoplanetary Disks
Context. Nonthermal desorption from interstellar ices induced by X-rays, known as X-ray photodesorption, is a possible route to explain gas phase molecules detected in protoplanetary disks. However, the efficiency of […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Formation of Lactic Acid (CH3CH(OH)COOH), a Metabolic Keystone for the Molecular Origins of Life, in Interstellar Ice Analogues
Lactic acid (CH3CH(OH)COOH)–a key biorelevant hydroxycarboxylic acid–is ubiquitous in living organisms and critically linked to the molecular origins of life due to its fundamental role in metabolic pathways.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Interstellar Formation of Lactaldehyde, A Key Intermediate in the Methylglyoxal Pathway
Aldehydes are ubiquitous in star-forming regions and carbonaceous chondrites, serving as essential intermediates in metabolic pathways and molecular mass growth processes to vital biomolecules necessary for the origins of life.