Abstract:
The most common element in space (after hydrogen and helium) is actually oxygen, even though most of the molecules listed in current astrochemical censuses are predominantly carbon-based. Most of the carbon in the Universe is tied up in either carbon monoxide or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) leaving little for the rest of chemistry as we know it. Among many projects in our group including those on PAHs, we have been working to show the rich chemistry that oxygen can interact with other common elements including magnesium, aluminum, and silicon. These inorganic oxides comprise a majority of the mineralogical material in the Earth’s lithosphere, and such mineralogy appears to be consistent with other solar system bodies. Our quantum chemical computations are showing that small inorganic oxides can react with water and the hydroxyl radical to form inorganic oxide nano clusters which go on to form interstellar dust grains, meteors, and, ultimately, rocky planets. Hence, these reactions lay the foundation (quite literally) for subsequent surface reactions that drive the rest of chemistry in space.