Solid-state production of complex organic molecules: H-atom addition versus UV irradiation

TL;DR

This study compares hydrogenation and UV irradiation processes in laboratory ice analogues to understand the formation of complex organic molecules in space, revealing distinct pathways and ratios consistent with astronomical observations.

Contribution

First laboratory comparison of hydrogenation and UV-induced reactions in CO:CH3OH ices, elucidating their roles in forming complex organic molecules in space.

Findings

Glycolaldehyde and ethylene glycol form via hydrogenation at 14 K.

Methyl formate forms predominantly through UV photolysis.

Laboratory GA/EG ratios match astronomical observations.

Abstract

Complex organic molecules (COMs) have been observed in comets, hot cores and cold dense regions of the interstellar medium. It is generally accepted that these COMs form on icy dust grain through the recombination reaction of radicals triggered by either energetic UV- photon or non-energetic H-atom addition processing. In this work, we present for the first time laboratory studies that allow for quantitative comparison of hydrogenation and UV-induced reactions as well as their cumulative effect in astronomically relevant CO:CH3OH=4:1 ice analogues. The formation of glycolaldehyde (GA) and ethylene glycol (EG) is confirmed in pure hydrogenation experiments at 14 K, except methyl formate (MF), which is only clearly observed in photolysis. The fractions for MF:GA:EG are 0 : (0.2-0.4) : (0.8-0.6) for pure hydrogenation, and 0.2 : 0.3 : 0.5 for UV involving experiments and can offer a diagnostic tool to derive the chemical origin of these species. The GA/EG ratios in the laboratory (0.3-1.5) compare well with observations toward different objects.