A cryogenic ice setup to simulate carbon atom reactions in interstellar ices

Qasim, Danna; Witlox, Maartje; Fedoseev, G.; Chuang, K.-J.; Banu, Tahamida; Krasnokutski, Serge A.; Ioppolo, Sergio; Kästner, Johannes; Dishoeck, E. F. van; Linnartz, H.

doi:10.1063/5.0003692

Cited by 22 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…Currently, there are only few considered surface reactions of C atoms. For example, only simplest surface reactions of C atom are included into KIDA 33,34 [35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43] The ability of C atoms to be barrierlessly incorporated into existing C-C bonds 36,40 creates the conditions for the growth in the molecular size and the complexity of the molecular structure at low temperatures. There are several models of the surface chemistry, where carbon atoms were involved in the formation of COMs.…”

Section: The Formation Of Biomolecules Via C Atoms Condensationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Did life originate from low-temperature areas of the Universe?

Krasnokutski

2021

Low Temperature Physics

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The biological molecules delivered to Earth on the board of meteorites and comets were called one of the possible causes of the origin of life. Therefore, our understanding of the routes of formation of biomolecules in space should shed the light on the possibility of the existence of habitable extrasolar planets. The large abundance of organic molecules is found in the space regions with the lowest temperature. Different routes of the organics formation in these areas were suggested. In this article, we demonstrate that complex organic molecules same as important biological molecules can be formed due to the reaction of C atoms with the mantels of molecular ices covering refractory dust grains present in the interstellar medium (ISM). Having four valence electrons, C atoms act as glue joining simple nonorganic molecules and converting them into organic matter. The formation of many molecules is barrierless and thus can happen at low temperature. The barrierless reaction C + NH3 + CO → NH2CHCO attracts particular interest. The product of this reaction is an isomer of the central residue of a peptide chain and expected to be efficiently formed in the translucent molecular clouds. The polymerization of these molecules leads to the formation of proteins that according to some theories are life's first molecules. Considering a high abundance of atomic carbon in the ISM, we expect a high efficiency of the formation of a large variety of different organic molecules, and show why the amount of organic material formed by condensation of atomic carbon may be underestimated.

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Section: The Formation Of Biomolecules Via C Atoms Condensationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Did life originate from low-temperature areas of the Universe?

Krasnokutski

2021

Low Temperature Physics

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“…This product can be formed in many reactions processing on the surface. As an example, we can mention the study of a rather simple reaction between a C atom and an O 2 molecule (Qasim et al, 2020) and C 2 O + CO) that could potentially proceed on the surface. The products of the first reactions are often radicals themselves, which can further be involved in the chemistry.…”

Section: Experimental Techniques For Studying Low-temperature Neutral Reactionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemistry and physics of dopants embedded in helium droplets

Albertini

Gruber

Zappa

et al. 2021

Mass Spectrometry Reviews

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Helium droplets represent a cold inert matrix, free of walls with outstanding properties to grow complexes and clusters at conditions that are perfect to simulate cold and dense regions of the interstellar medium. At sub-Kelvin temperatures, barrierless reactions triggered by radicals or ions have been observed and studied by optical spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The present review summarizes developments of experimental techniques and methods and recent results they enabled.

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“…Experiments are performed using the SURFRESIDE 3 apparatus, which has been described in detail in Ioppolo et al (2013). Recent updates are available from Qasim et al (2020). SURFRESIDE 3 is an ultra-high vacuum (UHV) setup with a base pressure of ∼ 10 −10 mbar.…”

Section: Laboratory Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Methoxymethanol Formation Starting from CO-Hydrogenation

He,

Simons,

Fedoseev

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Context. Methoxymethanol (CH 3 OCH 2 OH) has been identified through gas-phase signatures in both high-and low-mass star-forming regions. Like several other C-, O-and H-containing COMs (complex organic molecules), this molecule is expected to form upon hydrogen addition and abstraction reactions in CO-rich ice through radical recombination of CO hydrogenation products. Aims. The goal of this work is to investigate experimentally and theoretically the most likely solid-state methoxymethanol reaction channel -the recombination of CH 2 OH and CH 3 O radicals -for dark interstellar cloud conditions and to compare the formation efficiency with that of other species that were shown to form along the CO-hydrogenation line. Also, an alternative hydrogenation channel starting from methyl formate has been investigated. Methods. Hydrogen atoms and CO or H 2 CO molecules are co-deposited on top of the predeposited H 2 O ice to mimic the conditions associated with the beginning of 'rapid' CO freeze-out. The formation of simple species is monitored in situ by infrared spectroscopy. Quadrupole mass spectrometry is used to analyze the gas-phase COM composition following a temperature programmed desorption. Monte Carlo simulations are used for an astrochemical model comparing the methoxymethanol formation efficiency with that of other COMs.Results. The laboratory identification of methoxymethanol is found to be challenging, in part because of diagnostic limitations, but possibly also because of low formation efficiencies. Nevertheless, unambiguous detection of newly formed methoxymethanol has been possible both in CO+H and H 2 CO+H experiments. The resulting abundance of methoxymethanol with respect to CH 3 OH is about 0.05, which is about 6 times less than the value observed toward NGC 6334I and about 3 times less than the value reported for IRAS 16293B. The results of astrochemical simulations predict a similar value for the methoxymethanol abundance with respect to CH 3 OH factors ranging between 0.06 to 0.03. Conclusions. We find that methoxymethanol is formed by co-deposition of CO and H 2 CO with H atoms through the recombination of CH 2 OH and CH 3 O radicals. In both the experimental and modeling studies, it is found that the efficiency of this channel alone is not sufficient to explain the observed abundance of methoxymethanol with respect to methanol. The rate of a proposed alternative channel, the direct hydrogenation of methyl formate, is found to be even less efficient. These results indicate an incomplete knowledge of the reaction network or the presence of alternative solid-state or gas-phase formation mechanisms.

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A cryogenic ice setup to simulate carbon atom reactions in interstellar ices

Abstract: An ultrahigh vacuum system for the investigation of surface reaction routes of interstellar interest Review of Scientific Instruments 84, 073112 (2013);

Cited by 22 publications

References 64 publications

Did life originate from low-temperature areas of the Universe?

Did life originate from low-temperature areas of the Universe?

Chemistry and physics of dopants embedded in helium droplets

Methoxymethanol Formation Starting from CO-Hydrogenation

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