Laboratory Studies of Interstellar Carbon/Nitrogen Ion Chemistry

Reaction kinetics at very low temperatures: laboratory studies and interstellar chemistry.

Studies of gas-phase processes at temperatures down to 10 K have recently blossomed, largely through application of the CRESU (cinétique de réaction en ecoulement supersonique uniforme) technique. The results are of considerable relevance to the synthesis of molecules in dense interstellar clouds, demonstrating that the models developed to explain the observed molecular abundances must be expan...

Interstellar chemistry.

In the past half century, radioastronomy has changed our perception and understanding of the universe. In this issue of PNAS, the molecular chemistry directly observed within the galaxy is discussed. For the most part, the description of the molecular transformations requires specific kinetic schemes rather than chemical thermodynamics. Ionization of the very abundant molecular hydrogen and ato...

Interstellar organic chemistry and other applications of gas phase ion-molecule chemistry

Abst rm Over 60 molecules and ions, most of them organic, have been detected in interstellar space and most are thought to be formed by gas phase ion molecule reactions. The unique features of reactions of this type, which allow them to proceed readily under the extreme conditions of space and yet exhibit great selectivity and otherwise resemble reactions in solution, are discussed and illustra...

The chemistry of interstellar space

Interstellar space is not empty, but contains gaseous and particulate matter that is concentrated into very large regions known as interstellar clouds. In the denser and cooler clouds, the gas is molecular and most of the molecules detected are organic in nature. The gas-phase molecules are synthesised from precursor atoms by rapid exothermic reactions in the gas and on the surfaces of tiny dus...

Laboratory studies of the cosmic origins of organic chemistry