0000000000547898
AUTHOR
Y.-j. Chen
Synthesis of complex organic molecules in soft x-ray irradiated ices
We study the chemical evolution of H2O:CO:NH3 ice mixtures irradiated with soft X-rays, in the range 250-1250 eV. We identify many nitrogen-bearing molecules such as e.g., OCN-, NH4+ , HNCO, CH3CN, HCONH2, and NH2COCONH2. Several infrared features are compatible with glycine or its isomers. During the irradiation, we detected through mass spectroscopy many species desorbing the ice. Such findings support either the infrared identifications and reveal less abundant species with not clear infrared features. Among them, m/z = 57 has been ascribed to methyl isocyanate (CH3NCO), a molecule of prebiotic relevance, recently detected in protostellar environments. During the warm up after the irradi…
X-ray versus Ultraviolet Irradiation of Astrophysical Ice Analogs Leading to Formation of Complex Organic Molecules
In astrochemistry, complex organic molecules (COMs) are defined as species with at least one C atom and six or more atoms in total. More than 70 COMs were detected toward various interstellar and c...