Theoretical Studies of the Extra-terrestrial Chemistry of Biogenic Elements and Compounds
Results are presented on the following:(A) Ab initio quantum chemical studies of reactions in astrophysical ices.Theoretical electronic structure calculations were used to investigate reactions between formaldehyde (H2CO) and both hydrogen cyanide (HCN) and isocyanide (HNC) in search of other favorable reactions such as ammonia-formaldehyde addition, which was found in a recent theoretical study to be strongly enhanced when it occurs within cold ices.The present study examines further reactions between this product and H2CO in ices.(B) Heterogeneous hydrogenation of CO and H2CO on icy grain mantles.Formaldehyde (H2CO) and methanol (CH30H) are thought to be produced in the interstellar medium by the successive hydrogenation of carbon monoxide (CO) on grain surfaces. In the gas phase, the steps in which H adds to CO and H2CO possess modest barriers and are too inefficient to account for the observed abundances. Recent laboratory work has confirmed that formaldehyde and methanol are formed when H atoms are deposited on CO ice at 12 K. The present study employed ab initio quantum chemical calculations to investigate the impact of water ice on the sequential hydrogenation of CO.(C) Ice-bound condensed-phase reactions involving formic acid (HCOOH), methylenimine (CH2NH), hydrogen cyanide (HCN), hydrogen isocyanide (HNC), and ammonia ( 3) were investigated in order to characterize possible pathways to larger organic species that are efficient at the cold temperatures prevalent in cometary nuclei and the interstellar medium. (D) Pathways to glycine and other amino acids in ultraviolet-irradiated ices determined via quantum chemical modeling.(E) Photoionization in ultraviolet processing of astrophysical ice analogs at cryogenic temperatures.