Mechanism for formaldehyde polymer formation in interstellar space

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Formaldehyde, Interstellar Chemistry, Interstellar Matter, Polymerization, Chemical Evolution, Radicals, Silicates

Scientific paper

A possible mechanism for the formation of long chains of polymerized formaldehyde in interstellar space is described. Thermodynamic considerations relating to the polymerization of formaldehyde and the formation of crystalline polyoxymethylene indicate that the process could take place on interstellar silicate grains, which have temperatures below 20 K. The formation of radicals and other active centers of polymerization in the vicinity of impurities (such as the silicate grains) and the long duration of these active centers are suggested to account for the continuation of the polymerization process below temperatures of 77 K, where, according to extrapolations based on Arrhenius' Law, it might not be expected to occur. Experimental data involving radiation-initiated polymerization at low temperatures suggest that molecular tunnelling may be the only mechanism which can account for the formation of long polyformaldehydes in the interstellar medium.

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