Document Detail


An experimental study of the organic molecules produced in cometary and interstellar ice analogs by thermal formaldehyde reactions.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  11540089     Owner:  NASA     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Thermally promoted formaldehyde (H2CO) reactions in very low temperature ices have been studied to test their importance as a source of organic molecules in astrophysical environments such as comets and interstellar ices. The infrared absorption strengths of a number of the H2CO bands were measured in 10 K ices of pure H2CO and H20:H2CO = 100:3. Infrared spectroscopy was used to monitor the formaldehyde chemistry during warm-up of ices containing H2CO and one or more of the molecules H2O, CH3OH, CO, CO2, O2, and NH3. Formaldehyde reactions do not proceed at low temperatures in the absence of NH3. However, even small traces of NH3 (NH3/H2CO > or = 0.005) are sufficient to induce conversion of a considerable fraction (> 40%) of the H2CO into organic residues. Formaldehyde reactions were observed to start at temperatures as low as 40 K for NH3:H2CO binary ices and at approximately 80 K in astrophysically relevant (i.e., H2O-dominated) ices. A total of five different organic products of these reactions can be distinguished by infrared spectroscopy. One of them is polyoxymethylene (POM), a well-known H2CO polymerization product, whereas the others are reaction products of H2CO with H20, CH3OH and NH3. These all seem to be derivatives of polyoxymethylene. The nature of the components and their relative abundances depend strongly on the initial composition of the ice mixture as well as on the ice's irradiation history. We estimate that about 1% of the organics found in the coma of Comet Halley could have been produced by thermal formaldehyde reactions taking place in the nucleus.
Authors:
W A Schutte; L J Allamandola; S A Sandford
Related Documents :
21706719 - Formation and detoxification of reactive oxygen species.
10772069 - Sunscreens, oxidative stress and antioxidant functions in marine organisms of the great...
18962239 - The high-temperature analytical uses of vanadium(v) oxide.
19791819 - A new family of color-tunable light-emitting polymers with high quantum yields via the ...
22279039 - "clean reaction" strategy to approach a stable, green heptatwistacene containing a sing...
22053949 - Iron-catalyzed oxidation of tertiary amines: synthesis of β-1,3-dicarbonyl aldehydes b...
18386479 - Isoflavonoid glycosides and rotenoids from pongamia pinnata leaves.
17194099 - Synthesis of functionalized, unsymmetrical 1,3,4,6-tetrasubstituted 2,5-diketopiperazines.
20803749 - (s)-6-bromo-binol-based phosphoramidite ligand with c(1) symmetry for enantioselective ...
Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Icarus     Volume:  104     ISSN:  0019-1035     ISO Abbreviation:  Icarus     Publication Date:  1993  
Date Detail:
Created Date:  1997-03-12     Completed Date:  1997-03-12     Revised Date:  2008-11-21    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  9890634     Medline TA:  Icarus     Country:  UNITED STATES    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  118-37     Citation Subset:  S    
Affiliation:
Laboratory Astrophysics, Huygens Laboratory, Lieden, The Netherlands.
Export Citation:
APA/MLA Format     Download EndNote     Download BibTex
MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Ammonia / chemistry
Carbon Monoxide / chemistry
Evolution, Chemical
Extraterrestrial Environment*
Formaldehyde / chemistry*
Hot Temperature
Ice / analysis*
Meteoroids*
Methanol / chemistry
Models, Chemical
Resins, Synthetic / chemistry*
Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
Ultraviolet Rays
Water / chemistry
Chemical
Reg. No./Substance:
0/Ice; 0/Resins, Synthetic; 50-00-0/Formaldehyde; 630-08-0/Carbon Monoxide; 67-56-1/Methanol; 7664-41-7/Ammonia; 7732-18-5/Water; 9085-38-5/delrin
Investigator
Investigator/Affiliation:
L J Allamandola / ARC

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


Previous Document:  Simultaneous concentration and purification through gradient deformation chromatography.
Next Document:  Secondary processing of chondrules and refractory inclusions (CAIs) by gasdynamic heating.