Russian scientists have disclosed a new mechanism for formaldehyde in space – compounds that plays a large role in the synthesis of organic compounds necessary for the appearance of life on Earth. This is reported in a press release published on Godunauki.rf.
researchers have shown that formaldehyde is formed from carbon and water ice atoms. It was previously thought that this is impossible, since the chemical reaction requires a large amount of energy, which is not enough in the nebulae. Scientists assumed that such a process proceeds only in the later stages of the existence of molecular clouds, when large concentrations of CO are present on the surface of cosmic dust.
According to new results, organic molecules can appear in molecular clouds in the early stages of evolution, that is, much earlier formation of stars in them. Water in this case is represented in the form of amorphous ice, which occurs when the molecules occurs when the molecules do not have to be lined up into the correct grille. In this form, there are complexes of water with carbon atoms, separated from the gas in the interstellar environment.
Water molecules carry out protons from oxygen atoms per carbon atom, which catalyzes the formaldehyde synthesis reaction without the need for a large amount of energy.