New research from the group of MIT Professor Brett McGuire has revealed the presence of a previously unknown molecule in space. The team’s open-access paper, “Rotational Spectrum and First Interstellar […]
organic chemistry
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report, Stellar Cartography
Maser Activity of Organic Molecules toward Sgr B2(N)
At centimeter wavelengths, single-dish observations have suggested that the Sagittarius (Sgr) B2 molecular cloud at the Galactic Center hosts weak maser emission from several organic molecules, including CH2NH, HNCNH, and […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
A Multigrain-multilayer Astrochemical Model With Variable Desorption Energy For Surface Species
Context. Interstellar surface chemistry is a complex process that occurs in icy layers accumulated onto grains of different sizes. Efficiency of surface processes often depends on the immediate environment of […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
A Cometary Landcape Covered With Organic Chemicals
Editor’s note: according to “Organic compounds on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko revealed by COSAC mass spectrometry” – “Comets harbor the most pristine material in our solar system in the form of ice, […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Exploration Gear & Tech, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Sample Return, Status Report
Asteroid (101955) Bennu In The Laboratory: Properties Of The Sample Collected By OSIRIS-REx
On 24 September 2023, the NASA OSIRIS-REx mission dropped a capsule to Earth containing approximately 120 g of pristine carbonaceous regolith from Bennu.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Detection And Prebiotic Chemistry of Possible Glycine Precursor Molecule Methylenimine Towards The Hot Molecular Core G10.47+0.03
Amino acids are essential for the synthesis of protein. Amino acids contain both amine (R−NH2) and carboxylic acid (R−COOH) functional groups, which help to understand the possible formation mechanism of […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Drawing A Line Back To The Origin Of Life On Earth
Scientists in Cambridge University suggest molecules, vital to the development of life, could have formed from a process known as graphitisation. Once verified in the laboratory, it could allow us […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release
Peptides On Interstellar Ice
Peptides are organic compounds that play a crucial role in many biological processes, for example, as enzymes. A research team led by Dr Serge Krasnokutski from the Astrophysics Laboratory at […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Correlations Among Complex Organic Molecules Around Protostars: Effects Of Physical Structure
Column density ratios of complex organic molecules are generally constant across protostellar systems with some low-level scatter.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release
Cold Coulomb Crystals, Cosmic Clues: Unraveling The Mysteries Of Space Chemistry
While it may not look like it, the interstellar space between stars is far from empty. Atoms, ions, molecules, and more reside in this ethereal environment known as the Interstellar […]