Can Formamide Be Formed on Interstellar Ice? An Atomistic Perspective

TL;DR

This study uses quantum chemical calculations to explore possible formation pathways of interstellar formamide on icy grain surfaces, highlighting the role of water molecules as catalysts and identifying the most feasible reactions under space conditions.

Contribution

It introduces new theoretical insights into formamide formation routes on interstellar ice, especially the catalytic role of water and the viability of reactions involving CN radicals.

Findings

Formamide can form via NH2 + HCO radical reactions on ice surfaces.

Reaction with HCN has high energy barriers, making it unlikely in space.

CN radical reactions with water can produce formamide with water acting as a catalyst.

Abstract

Interstellar formamide (NH2CHO) has recently attracted significant attention due to its potential role as a molecular building block in the formation of precursor biomolecules relevant for the origin of life. Its formation, whether on the surfaces of the interstellar grains or in the gas phase, is currently debated. The present article presents new theoretical quantum chemical computations on possible NH2CHO formation routes in water-rich amorphous ices, simulated by a 33-H2O-molecule cluster. We have considered three possible routes. The first one refers to a scenario used in several current astrochemical models, that is, the radical-radical association reaction between NH2 and HCO. Our calculations show that formamide can indeed be formed, but in competition with formation of NH3 and CO through a direct H transfer process. The final outcome of the NH2 + HCO reactivity depends on the relative orientation of the two radicals on the ice surface. We then analyzed two other possibilities, suggested here for the first time: reaction of either HCN or CN with water molecules of the ice mantle. The reaction with HCN has been found to be characterized by large energy barriers and, therefore, cannot occur under the interstellar ice conditions. On the contrary, the reaction with the CN radical can occur, possibly leading through multiple steps to the formation of NH2CHO. For this reaction, water molecules of the ice act as catalytic active sites since they help the H transfers involved in the process, thus reducing the energy barriers (compared to the gas-phase analogous reaction). Additionally, we apply a statistical model to estimate the reaction rate coefficient when considering the cluster of 33-H2O-molecules as an isolated moiety with respect to the surrounding environment, i.e., the rest of the ice.