Journal article

Formation of Glyoxylic Acid in Interstellar Ices: A Key Entry Point for Prebiotic Chemistry


Authors listEckhardt, AK; Bergantini, A; Singh, SK; Schreiner, PR; Kaiser, RI

Publication year2019

Pages5719-5723

JournalAngewandte Chemie

Volume number131

Issue number17

ISSN1433-7851

DOI Linkhttps://doi.org/10.1002/ange.201901059

PublisherWiley


Abstract
With nearly 200 molecules detected in interstellar and circumstellar environments, the identification of the biologically relevant α‐keto carboxylic acid, glyoxylic acid (HCOCOOH), is still elusive. Herein, the formation of glyoxylic acid via cosmic‐ray driven, non‐equilibrium chemistry in polar interstellar ices of carbon monoxide (CO) and water (H2O) at 5 K via barrierless recombination of formyl (HCO) and hydroxycarbonyl radicals (HOCO) is reported. In temperature‐programmed desorption experiments, the subliming neutral molecules were selectively photoionized and identified based on the ionization energy and distinct mass‐to‐charge ratios in combination with isotopically labeled experiments exploiting reflectron time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. These studies unravel a key reaction path to glyoxylic acid, an organic molecule formed in interstellar ices before subliming in star‐forming regions like SgrB2(N), thus providing a critical entry point to prebiotic organic synthesis.



Citation Styles

Harvard Citation styleEckhardt, A., Bergantini, A., Singh, S., Schreiner, P. and Kaiser, R. (2019) Formation of Glyoxylic Acid in Interstellar Ices: A Key Entry Point for Prebiotic Chemistry, Angewandte Chemie, 131(17), pp. 5719-5723. https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.201901059

APA Citation styleEckhardt, A., Bergantini, A., Singh, S., Schreiner, P., & Kaiser, R. (2019). Formation of Glyoxylic Acid in Interstellar Ices: A Key Entry Point for Prebiotic Chemistry. Angewandte Chemie. 131(17), 5719-5723. https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.201901059


Last updated on 2025-21-05 at 15:47