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 medium
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Supramolecular Interactions of Organometallic Origin Facilitating Astrochemical Reactions: An Electronic Structure Study Featuring Metal Cyanides versus Metal Isocyanides
This work highlights how organometallic chemistry and supramolecular interactions can together drive astrochemically relevant reactions. For this purpose, MCN and MNC species (M = Mg(II), Mg(I), and Al(I)) detected in […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Abundant Hydrocarbons In A Buried Galactic Nucleus With Signs Of Carbonaceous Grain And Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Processing
Hydrocarbons play a key role in shaping the chemistry of the interstellar medium (ISM), but their enrichment and relationship with carbonaceous grains and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) still lack clear […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
H182O In The Terrestrial Planet-forming Regions Of Protoplanetary Disks
Isotopologues play an important role in solar system cosmochemistry studies, revealing details of early planet formation physics and chemistry.
![A color–magnitude Hess diagram of Sextans A with JWST/ NIRCam photometry at 2.7 and 4.4 μm with the positions of the JWST/LRS targets overplotted. COLIBRI isochrones with [M/H] = −1.7 are plotted for log(age) = 8.3 in orange and log(age) = 9 in blue (P. Marigo et al. 2013), both showing prominent branches of thermally pulsing AGB stars at red colors (F277W − F444W > 0 mag). The population of faint red objects is dominated by unresolved background galaxies and young stellar objects (J. T. Warfield et al. 2023; L. Lenkić et al. 2024). -- astro-ph.GA](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/JWST-Captures-Growth-of-Aromatic.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release
JWST Captures Growth of Aromatic Hydrocarbon Dust Particles in the Extremely Metal-poor Galaxy Sextans A
The mid-infrared spectrum of star-forming, high metallicity galaxies is dominated by emission features from aromatic and aliphatic bonds in small carbonaceous dust grains, often referred to as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
APEX Survey Of Interstellar HCl: 35Cl/37Cl Isotopic Ratios In Dense Cores And Outflows
Despite being only the 19th most abundant element in the interstellar medium, chlorine’s reactivity and volatility give rise to a unique interstellar chemistry, favouring the formation of several chlorine-bearing hydrides.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
The Emergence Of Prebiotic Chemistry In The Interstellar Medium (ISM)
Contrary to popular belief, the interstellar medium (ISM) is not empty; it is filled with atoms, dust particles, and molecules.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release
Photochemistry Of Interstellar Ice Forming Complex Organic Molecules
Processes expected to play a role in interstellar ice are simulated in the laboratory. Energetic photons and ions lead to fragmentation or desorption of molecules from the ice. The end […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release
PHANGS-JWST: The Largest Extragalactic Molecular Cloud Catalog Traced By Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Emission
High-resolution JWST images of nearby spiral galaxies reveal polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission structures that trace molecular gas, including CO-dark regions.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Binding Energies of Interstellar Complex Organic Molecules on Water Ice Surfaces: A Quantum Chemical Investigation
Interstellar dust grains are enveloped by ices of frozen molecules in cold, dense regions of the interstellar medium (ISM), which are also observed in the gas phase.