Dimethyl Ether Was Discovered in a Planet-forming Disc for the First Time

In a first for astrochemistry, astronomers have discovered dimethyl ether in a planet-forming disc. A precursor of larger organic molecules that can spur life, dimethyl ether is the largest molecule identified yet in a protoplanetary disc– a rotating cloud of gas, dust, and ice that develops around a recently developing star and ultimately forms planets.

Researchers made the discovery at the Leiden Observatory in the Netherlands, utilizing the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (Alma) telescope in Chile. The team likewise made the first-ever detection in a protoplanetary disc of nitric oxide and the tentative detection of a complex molecule identical to dimethyl ether that is likewise a building block for larger organic molecules known as methyl formate.

The European Southern Observatory co-funds Alma along with the US, Canadian, Taiwanese as well as Japanese organizations.

The molecules were spotted in the planet-forming disc around the young star Oph-IRS 48, more than 400 light-years away from Earth. Complex organic molecules like dimethyl ether are believed to occur in star-forming clouds, even before the stars formation. Atoms and easy molecules like carbon monoxide adhere to dust grains in these chilly environments, developing an ice layer and undergoing chemical reactions that cause more complex molecules.

The discovery of dimethyl ether recommends that many other complex molecules usually found in star-forming areas may also exist on icy structures in planet-forming discs. These molecules are precursors of prebiotic molecules like amino acids and sugars, so investigating their development can assist in elucidating how prebiotic molecules ended up on planets, including Earth.

“We are incredibly delighted that we can currently start to follow the whole trip of these complex molecules from the clouds that form stars to planet-forming discs, as well as to comets,” stated Nienke van der Marel, a Leiden Observatory researcher associated with the research. ‘We can get closer to comprehending prebiotic molecules’ origin in our own solar system, hopefully, with more observations.

Reference:

N Brunken et al, Astron. Astrophys., 2022, DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202142981

Read the original article on Chemistry World.