Astrochemistry

As detailed by Herbst (DOI: 10.1039/c3cp54065k) the science of astrochemistry is now 45 years old. Astrochemistry is an inherently interdisciplinary subject, with researchers in the area coming from the astronomy, chemistry and physics communities. Astrochemical research itself spans observations, modelling, and laboratory based investigations (both theoretical and experimental). Laboratory based studies can be broken down even further with studies taking place at both low (10 K) and high (300 K) temperatures, at pressures ranging from ultrahigh vacuum to the millibar range, and both in the gas phase and on surfaces.

The importance of astrochemistry as a field of study is reflected in the large number of groups studying this topic worldwide, and in the number of relevant conferences that regularly take place. This particular PCCP themed issue coincides with the end of the Europe-wide initial training network LASSIE (Laboratory Astrochemical Surface Science in Europe, FP7/2007–2013 under grant agreement number 238258), which brought together 30 co-investigators across 13 institutions, spanning 7 European countries. Of course, Europe is not the only region in which astrochemical research is flourishing, with a large amount of high quality research also being performed in the USA and in Asia (especially Japan). The publication of this PCCP themed issue on astrochemistry also coincides with Faraday Discussion 168 – Astrochemistry of Dust, Ice and Gas – in April 2014, and readers are referred to that issue for a further indication of the current state of the art in the subject.

Since its initial beginnings in the observation and modelling of simpler species (for example CO, H₂O and H₂), astrochemical research has progressed a long way. Several of the papers in this volume are concerned with the formation and processing of more complex organic species, often considered to be pre-biotic species essential for the origins of life. Observational astronomy has now progressed to the point where it is possible to conclusively identify complex organics such as glycolaldehyde¹ and modern laboratory and theoretical studies are now investigating how molecules such as this² and others (see papers by Rodríguez-Lazcano et al., DOI: 10.1039/c3cp53153h, Danger et al., DOI: 10.1039/c3cp54034k, Lv et al., DOI: 10.1039/c3cp54027h, Zins and Krim, DOI: 10.1039/c3cp54041c, Kaiser et al., DOI: 10.1039/c3cp54255f) could be formed in various interstellar environments. New laboratory techniques such as THz spectroscopy are also being developed (Allodi et al., DOI: 10.1039/c3cp53767f) to help further our understanding of observational data. Alongside the new methods, the more traditional techniques of infrared spectroscopy and mass spectrometry still play essential roles in laboratory astrochemical research, as indicated by many of the papers in this volume. Studies of the processing of model interstellar ices particularly employ these techniques to study desorption^3,4 and ultra-violet (Zins and Krim, DOI: 10.1039/c3cp54041c) and ion processing (Lv et al., DOI: 10.1039/c3cp54027h). Clearly, as this issue shows, astrochemistry research is flourishing and many new exciting findings are emerging.

Finally I would like to thank the authors of the contributions to this issue for their high quality papers, and the PCCP editorial staff for their efficiency in producing this special issue.

References

1. J. K. Jørgenson, C. Favre, S. E. Bisschop, T. L. Bourke, E. F. van Dishoeck and M. Schmalzl, Astrophys. J., Lett., 2012, 757, L4.
2. P. M. Woods, G. Kelly, S. Viti, B. Slater, W. A. Brown, F. Puletti, D. J. Burke and Z. Raza, Astrophys. J., 2012, 750, 19; P. M. Woods, B. Slater, Z. Raza, S. Viti, W. A. Brown and D. J. Burke, Astrophys. J., 2013, 777, 90.
3. D. J. Burke and W. A. Brown, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2010, 12, 5929.
4. M. P. Collings, M. R. S. McCoustra and J. C. Rawlings, Chem. Soc. Rev., 2014 , in press.

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