Methanol photodissociation and its effects on complex chemistry in the ISM

Details Methanol photodissociation and its effects on complex chemistry in the ISM Methanol photodissociation and its effects on complex chemistry in the ISM

May 2011

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011iaus..280p.222l&link_type=abstract

The Molecular Universe, Posters from the proceedings of the 280th Symposium of the International Astronomical Union held in Tole

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

Many complex organic molecules have been detected in the ISM, yet the chemical pathways leading to their formation are not well-understood. Grain surface chemistry involving radical-radical combination reactions is a likely mechanism for complex molecule production. Under this scheme, an array of radicals formed from the photodissociation of simple molecules in ices can lead to a variety of complex organic molecules. The photodissociation of methanol in ices is thought to be the dominant source of three organic radicals, CH3O, CH2OH, and CH3. Recent chemical models have shown that changes to these branching ratios directly impact the relative abundances of many complex organic molecules. The laboratory ice studies conducted by Oberg and coworkers provide some information about these branching ratios. However, no studies have yet been conducted that directly detect the photodissociation products. We are therefore undertaking gas-phase laboratory studies of methanol photodissociation using submillimeter spectroscopy as a direct probe of the product radicals so that the photodissociation branching ratios can be determined quantitatively. Here we present the progress of these photodissociation studies and discuss the results in the context of complex interstellar chemistry.

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