ON THE FORMATION OF GLYCOLALDEHYDE IN DENSE MOLECULAR CORES
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT (United Kingdom)
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AJ (United Kingdom)
Glycolaldehyde is a simple monosaccharide sugar linked to prebiotic chemistry. Recently, it was detected in a molecular core in the star-forming region G31.41+0.31 at a reasonably high abundance. We investigate the formation of glycolaldehyde at 10 K to determine whether it can form efficiently under typical dense core conditions. Using an astrochemical model, we test five different reaction mechanisms that have been proposed in the astrophysical literature, finding that a gas-phase formation route is unlikely. Of the grain-surface formation routes, only two are efficient enough at very low temperatures to produce sufficient glycolaldehyde to match the observational estimates, with the mechanism culminating in CH{sub 3}OH + HCO being favored. However, when we consider the feasibility of these mechanisms from a reaction chemistry perspective, the second grain-surface route looks more promising, H{sub 3}CO + HCO.
- OSTI ID:
- 22034625
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 750, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
THE SUBMILLIMETER SPECTRUM OF GLYCOLALDEHYDE
Formation of Glycerol through Hydrogenation of CO Ice under Prestellar Core Conditions