Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
Nov 2002
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2002nla..work..192c&link_type=abstract
NASA Laboratory Astrophysics Workshop, held May 1-3 2002 at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000. Publisher:
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Scientific paper
It is widely recognised by the astronomical community that understanding the chemical processing of molecular gas clouds is the gateway to understanding key aspects of the physics of star formation [1] and, possibly, to understanding the origin of life itself. [2] Central to this is the recognition that physical and chemical processes occurring at the surfaces of interstellar grains are crucially important. Grains provide catalytic surfaces upon which a variety of reactions occur that are crucial to the chemical evolution of molecular clouds. They provide surfaces onto which gaseous molecules may condense and when irradiated by photons and cosmic rays are the chemical nanofactories in which the complex molecules of life may be synthesised from simple ices. Of course, the key to this chemistry is an appreciation of the role of the adsorption and desorption of atoms and molecules from the grains themselves, under both reactive and non- reactive conditions.
Collings Mark P.
Dever John W.
Fraser Helen
McCoustra Martin R. S.
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