A twist on the reaction of the CN radical with methylamine in the interstellar medium: new hints from a state-of-the-art quantum-chemical study

TL;DR

This study uses advanced quantum-chemical methods to investigate the gas-phase reaction between methylamine and CN radical, revealing new insights into reaction pathways relevant to interstellar chemistry.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed quantum-chemical analysis of the methylamine and CN radical reaction, highlighting the importance of accurate calculations in astrochemical modeling.

Findings

Identification of reaction pathways and products.

Spectroscopic characterization of new radicals.

Emphasis on the role of gas-phase reactions in interstellar molecules formation.

Abstract

Despite the fact that the majority of current models assume that interstellar complex organic molecules (iCOMs) are formed on dust-grain surfaces, there is some evidence that neutral gas-phase reactions play an important role. In this paper, we investigate the reaction occurring in the gas phase between methylamine (CH$_3$NH$_2$) and the cyano (CN) radical, for which only fragmentary and/or inaccurate results have been reported to date. This case study allows us to point out the pivotal importance of employing quantum-chemical calculations at the state of the art. Since the two major products of the CH$_3$NH$_2$ + CN reaction, namely the CH$_3$NH and CH$_2$NH$_2$ radicals, have not been spectroscopically characterized yet, some effort has been made for filling this gap.