Prebiotic molecules in the interstellar medium

The cocktail of molecules, however, depends on the composition and condition of the cloud and the allowed chemistry on the surface or within the ice mantle. A complex network of chemical reactions exists, taking in energy from the 

Concepts Conditions in the ISM The variation of particle density from the tenuous ISM with 1 molecule cm-3 to 106 cm 3 in GMCs, influenced by the radiation fields around stars 

Visible extinction The removal of light from a telescopic line of sight by either molecular absorption or scatter principally by dust 

Rates of reaction Rate constants and their temperature dependence leading to a differential rate equation 

Steady-state approximation Molecular processing The balance of chemical reactions leading to an apparent constant concentration of a species said to be in steady state The interaction between molecules in the ISM and the radiation and cosmic rays from a star leading to new processed species 

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