NO ICE HYDROGENATION: A SOLID PATHWAY TO NH{sub 2}OH FORMATION IN SPACE
- LERMA-LAMAp, Universite de Cergy-Pontoise, Observatoire de Paris, ENS, UPMC, UMR 8112 du CNRS, 5 Mail Gay Lussac, 95000 Cergy Pontoise Cedex (France)
- Raymond and Beverly Sackler Laboratory for Astrophysics, Leiden Observatory, University of Leiden, P.O. Box 9513, 2300 RA Leiden (Netherlands)
- Laboratoire de Chimie-Physique, Matiere et Rayonnement, Universite Pierre-et-Marie Curie (Paris 06) and CNRS (UMR 7614), 11 rue Pierre-et-Marie-Curie, 75231 Paris (France)
Icy dust grains in space act as catalytic surfaces onto which complex molecules form. These molecules are synthesized through exothermic reactions from precursor radicals and, mostly, hydrogen atom additions. Among the resulting products are species of biological relevance, such as hydroxylamine-NH{sub 2}OH-a precursor molecule in the formation of amino acids. In this Letter, laboratory experiments are described that demonstrate NH{sub 2}OH formation in interstellar ice analogs for astronomically relevant temperatures via successive hydrogenation reactions of solid nitric oxide (NO). Inclusion of the experimental results in an astrochemical gas-grain model proves the importance of a solid-state NO+H reaction channel as a starting point for prebiotic species in dark interstellar clouds and adds a new perspective to the way molecules of biological importance may form in space.
- OSTI ID:
- 22047858
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 750, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2041-8205
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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