Prebiotic Molecules in the Interstellar Medium Susanna L. Widicus Weaver

1. Prebiotic Molecules in the Interstellar Medium Susanna L. Widicus Weaver Department of Chemistry Emory University

2. H He Ne O C N Si S Ar Mg Fe The Astronomer’s Periodic Table Detected Interstellar Molecules

3. Schematic of a Hot Core T (gas) = 200 - 1000 K T (dust) ~90 K ~60 K ~45 K ~20 K CO2 CO N2 O2 ice complex organics H2O, CH3OH, NH3 H2S CH3OH ice SiO CH3CN CO2 ice trapped CO UV H2O ice Hot Core ~1016 cm ~5x1017 cm

4. Organic Material in Meteorites • The Murchison Meteorite • amino acids • sugars and polyols • other organics

5. Possible Molecular Formation Schemes vs. Key Questions: How far can chemistry go in the ISM?? Is a parent body required??

6. Laboratory Modeling Molecules of Interest Reaction Kinetics & Dynamics, Molecular Parameters Unidentified Lines Abundance Predictions Observations Physical Conditions, Molecular Abundances Transition Frequencies & Strengths Prebiotic Astrochemistry Research