Chemistry in the Galactic Center

TL;DR

This paper reviews the complex organic chemistry in the Galactic Center, highlighting recent discoveries of prebiotic molecules in molecular clouds, suggesting the interstellar medium's role in life's origins.

Contribution

It reports the detection of new complex organic molecules in the Galactic Center's molecular cloud G+0.693-0.027, expanding understanding of prebiotic chemistry in space.

Findings

Discovery of new complex organic molecules in G+0.693-0.027

Evidence of rich prebiotic chemistry in Galactic Center clouds

Implications for the origin of life in the universe

Abstract

Gas and dust in the Galactic Center are subjected to energetic processing by intense UV radiation fields, widespread shocks, enhanced rates of cosmic-rays and X-rays, and strong magnetic fields. The Giant Molecular Clouds in the Galactic Center present a rich chemistry in a wide variety of chemical compounds, some of which are prebiotic. We have conducted unbiased, ultrasensitive and broadband spectral surveys toward the G+0.693-0.027 molecular cloud located in the Galactic Center, which have yielded the discovery of new complex organic molecules proposed as precursors of the "building blocks" of life. I will review our current understanding of the chemistry in Galactic Center molecular clouds, and summarize the recent detections toward G+0.693-0.027 of key precursors of prebiotic chemistry. All this suggests that the ISM is an important source of prebiotic material that could have contributed to the process of the origin of life on Earth and elsewhere in the Universe.