Kevin_Hall Posted December 28, 2021 Share Posted December 28, 2021 (edited) Russian scientists have discovered a new mechanism for the formation of formaldehyde in space - a compound that plays a significant role in the synthesis of organic compounds necessary for the origin of life on Earth. According to the new results, organic molecules can appear in molecular clouds in the early stages of evolution, that is, much earlier than the formation of stars in them. Molecules of water carry out the transfer of protons from oxygen atoms to a carbon atom, which catalyzes the formaldehyde synthesis reaction without the need for a large amount of energy. Source: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jpclett.1c02760 Edited December 28, 2021 by Kevin_Hall Correcting the title Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exchemist Posted December 28, 2021 Share Posted December 28, 2021 2 hours ago, Kevin_Hall said: Russian scientists have discovered a new mechanism for the formation of formaldehyde in space - a compound that plays a significant role in the synthesis of organic compounds necessary for the origin of life on Earth. According to the new results, organic molecules can appear in molecular clouds in the early stages of evolution, that is, much earlier than the formation of stars in them. Molecules of water carry out the transfer of protons from oxygen atoms to a carbon atom, which catalyzes the formaldehyde synthesis reaction without the need for a large amount of energy. Source: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jpclett.1c02760 Russian scientists? This paper is a collaboration between the Universities of Stuttgart, in Germany, and Leiden, in the Netherlands. But indeed a new, low-barrier i.e. potentially fast, mechanism for formaldehyde synthesis, on ice-coated dust grains, at the low temperatures of interstellar space. I note they comment that the James Webb telescope may carry out observations to confirm the abundance of formaldehyde in interstellar ice. And a neat mechanism it is, too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiot Posted December 28, 2021 Share Posted December 28, 2021 1 hour ago, exchemist said: Russian scientists? This paper is a collaboration between the Universities of Stuttgart, in Germany, and Leiden, in the Netherlands. But indeed a new, low-barrier i.e. potentially fast, mechanism for formaldehyde synthesis, on ice-coated dust grains, at the low temperatures of interstellar space. I note they comment that the James Webb telescope may carry out observations to confirm the abundance of formaldehyde in interstellar ice. And a neat mechanism it is, too. It's good to have a propely thought out account. Thank you. +1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exchemist Posted December 28, 2021 Share Posted December 28, 2021 45 minutes ago, studiot said: It's good to have a propely thought out account. Thank you. +1 What is curious about this news is that the wrong information that is was done by Russians seems to come from a Russian (dis)information news site: https://www.altusintel.com/public-yy752j/ But anyway, what is more interesting is why formaldehyde is thought so significant. This seems to be for two reasons. One is that it has a clear rotational spectrum, which astronomers can use for a number of purposes, e.g determining temperatures and velocities (via Doppler shift) of clouds of dust and gas. The other is that it can react with ammonia to produce amines and ultimately amino acids. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MigL Posted December 28, 2021 Share Posted December 28, 2021 5 hours ago, Kevin_Hall said: organic molecules can appear in molecular clouds in the early stages of evolution, that is, much earlier than the formation of stars in them. And where would the oxygen and carbon come from without pre-existing stars ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beecee Posted December 28, 2021 Share Posted December 28, 2021 13 minutes ago, MigL said: And where would the oxygen and carbon come from without pre-existing stars ? Yeah, I'm trying to impart that fact into another head, in another thread. 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiot Posted December 28, 2021 Share Posted December 28, 2021 1 hour ago, exchemist said: What is curious about this news is that the wrong information that is was done by Russians seems to come from a Russian (dis)information news site: https://www.altusintel.com/public-yy752j/ But anyway, what is more interesting is why formaldehyde is thought so significant. This seems to be for two reasons. One is that it has a clear rotational spectrum, which astronomers can use for a number of purposes, e.g determining temperatures and velocities (via Doppler shift) of clouds of dust and gas. The other is that it can react with ammonia to produce amines and ultimately amino acids. More good stuff +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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