[astro-ph.SR] The origin of the molecular building blocks of life is a central question in science. A few α-amino acids such as glycine, the simplest proteinogenic amino acid, have been […]
organic chemistry
![Molecular structure of the two conformational isomers that are connected through a single bond rotation,syn and anti CH2CHCHS. The numbers represent the zero-point energy corrected energy separation in kcal mol−1 at the CCSD(T)-F12/cc-pVTZ-F12//SCS-MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ, described later in the text. -- [astro-ph.GA]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Laboratory-spectroscopy.png?resize=1200%2C723&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry
Laboratory Spectroscopy, Theoretical Characterization, And Astronomical Search For Syn-propenethial (CH2CHCHS)
[astro-ph.GA] We report the laboratory characterization of the higher-energy isomer of propenethial, syn-CH2CHCHS. While the lower-energy isomer, anti-CH2CHCHS, was detected in the interstellar medium during the QUIJOTE line survey of […]
![(A) C1 clast containing numerous magnetite (white), pyrrhotite (light gray), and dolomite grains (dark gray). (B) C1 clast with numerous dolomites marked “D,” indicating the dolomite crystal where the FIB was cut (bottom, arrowed, and outlined in yellow). (C) Bright-field TEM image of the FIBed dolomite crystal. Numerous cracks are arrowed. (D) Na x-ray map of the same area as in (C). -- [Science Advances]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Meteor-over-New-.png?resize=1200%2C715&ssl=1)
Posted inMeteorites & Asteroids
Brines Discovered In A Meteorite From A Primitive CM Asteroid
[Science Advances] The CI (Ivuna-type) carbonaceous material returned from asteroids Ryugu and Bennu contain mobilized sodium from the evaporation or freezing of liquid water into brines, shedding light on the […]
![Schematic diagram (not to scale) of the experimental apparatus used for benzene ice nucleation and growth studies (adapted from Dubois et al. (2021)). Pressure was measured with a capacitance manometer (P1) and an ion gauge (P2). The inset shows a top view of the cooled sample holder with the positions of the three K-type thermocouple gauges (red dots) used for temperature measurements. The ice sample formed on either or both sides of the silicon substrate/tholin sample (grey), which was in the path of the IR beam of the Thermo Fisher iS50. Infrared transmission spectra were collected with a liquid N2-cooled MCT/A detector. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Experimental-Measurements.png?resize=1200%2C717&ssl=1)
Posted inTitan
Experimental Measurements of Benzene Ice Critical Saturation Ratios on Titan Tholins and Impact on the Microphysical Modeling of Titan’s South Polar Benzene Cloud
[astro-ph.EP] The Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) revealed the presence of a benzene (C6H6) ice cloud in Titan’s autumn south polar stratosphere, following the northern spring equinox in August 2009.
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Planetesimal Formation Across the Stellar Mass Spectrum and its Influence on Exoplanet-Inherited Volatile Budgets
[astro-ph.EP] Protoplanetary discs emerging from collapsing molecular clouds are capable of forming planetesimals at the water snowline during both the cloud collapse and Class II disc phases; such a scenario […]
![DFT-computed anharmonic absorption spectra of 1-cyanonaphthalene in its neutral (1-CNN0 , top panel), cation (1-CNN+ , middle panel), and anion (1-CNN− , bottom panel) charge states. The calculated vibrational transitions are convolved with a Lorentzian profile using a FWHM of 4 cm−1 to simulate realistic spectral profiles. Numerical labels near the major peaks represent their respective wavelengths. Key vibrational bands, including the CN stretch at ∼ 4.4–4.6 µm and the CH stretch at ∼ 3.2–3.3 µm, are explicitly highlighted.-- [astro-ph.GA]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Anharmonic-Infrared-Emission.png?resize=1200%2C718&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry
Anharmonic Infrared Emission Of Cyano-Substituted Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Molecules: Cyanonaphthalenes As A Case Study
[astro-ph.GA] Recent detections of cyano-substituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (cyano-PAHs) highlight them as key tracers of nitrogen heterocycles in the interstellar medium (ISM).
Posted inMars
Survival and Detectability of Mars-Derived Organic Carbon in Phobos Regolith: A Quantitative Hardness Taxonomy for MMX Sample Analysis
[eartharxiv.org] The Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission will return ≥ 10 g of Phobos regolith containing a small fraction of Mars-derived impact ejecta (Ramsley and Head, 2013; Chappaz et al., […]
![Gas-phase abundance evolution of CH3OH, CH3CHO, CH3OCHO, and CH3OCH3 in the representative warm-up model with Tmax = 200 K. The shaded rectangles indicate the observed abundance ranges derived in this work. The gray vertical band marks the time interval, (1.25–1.42) × 106 yr, over which the model abundances overlap most closely with the observed ranges for the four species. -- [astro-ph.GA]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Molecule-dependent.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry
Molecule-dependent Abundance Behavior of Oxygen-bearing Complex Organics in High-Mass Star-Forming Regions: A Uniform 50-source Survey
[astro-ph.GA] We present a uniform IRAM-30m survey analysis of four oxygen-bearing complex organic molecules (COMs), methanol (CH3OH), acetaldehyde (CH3CHO), methyl formate (CH3OCHO), and dimethyl ether (CH3OCH3), toward 50 high-mass star-forming […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
ALMA Central Molecular Zone Exploration Survey (ACES) I: Overview
[astro-ph.GA] The mass flows and energy cycles within the inner regions of galaxies exert a powerful influence on the evolution of the galaxy population.
Posted inAstrochemistry
Efficient Interstellar Grain Growth From High Sticking Coefficients On Amorphous Carbon Dust
[astro-ph.GA] Cosmic dust is the solid phase of the interstellar medium (ISM), classically assumed to be composed of carbonaceous and silicate grains with size distributions spanning ∼5 Å to ∼1 […]