stereoisomerism Archives

Observed Stereoisomeric Ratio (OSR) - defined as the column density ratio between the higher and the lower-energy isomer - for the different stereoisomeric pairs gathered in Table 1 (points), overlaid with the thermodynamic equilibrium prediction (g×e−∆E/Tkin at g = 1, colored area), as a function of the relative energy (∆E= Ehigher- Elower) between isomers. The points corresponding to the detections are colored according to the particular source Tkin (see Tables 1 and 2), following the color code of the vertical bar. For CH3CH2OH, CH3CH2OCHO, CH2CHCH2CN, CH3CH2CH2CN and (CH3)2CHOH, the observational points were “corrected” (indicated with *) accounting for the double degeneracy of one of the isomers in the pair (the higher-energy for the first three, the lower-energy for the last two), multiplying the corresponding ratios shown in Table 1 by 1/g=1/2, 1/2, 1/2, 2 and 2, respectively, to match the displayed thermodynamic prediction which omits this fact. -- astro-ph.GA

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Interstellar Stereoisomerism

by Keith CowingMarch 29, 2026March 29, 2026

The increasing detection of new molecules in the interstellar medium (ISM) shows that stereoisomerism is a fundamental contributor to interstellar molecular complexity.

stereoisomerism

Interstellar Stereoisomerism

Why Europa’s Hidden Ocean May Be More Difficult To Reach Than Scientists Thought

Pinpointing Where Cells First Begin Copying DNA

Experimental Measurements of Benzene Ice Critical Saturation Ratios on Titan Tholins and Impact on the Microphysical Modeling of Titan’s South Polar Benzene Cloud

From Mars to Minas: Research Reclassifies Organisms That Thrive In Highly Saline Environments

Could Alien Signals Be Hiding On A Different Radio Channel?