Emission of large hydrocarbons from frozen CH4 by keV proton irradiation

Ab-Initio Investigations on Hydrogen Dissociation and Cross-Linking of Hydrocarbon Chains of Self-Assembled Monolayers of Alkanes

First-principles calculations were carried out to study the structural and electronic properties of hydrocarbon chains of self-assembled monolayers with hydrogen dissociation. It was found that the incoming hydrogen could lead to the formation of H2 molecules by stripping the nearby hydrogen atoms in the chains and thereby leave the neighboring carbon atoms to be free radicals. Two parallel hydrocarbon chains with dangling bonds can form a direct C-C bond, i.e., cross-linking happens between the two chains, which is ascribed to a charge accumulation in the cross-linking region. The polymerization of short molecules into long hydrocarbon chains through a different cross-linking mode is also discussed.

Bioastrophysical aspects of low energy ion irradiation of frozen anthracene containing water

The origin of life on Earth remains a fascinating mystery in spite of many theories existing on this subject. However, it seems that simple prebiotic molecules could play an essential role in the formation of more complex organisms. In our experiment, we synthesized a class of these molecules (quinones) bombarding frozen anthracene containing water with low energy hydrogen ions. This experiment roughly simulated the astrophysical conditions which one can find in the solar system. Thus, we can hypothesize that prebiotic molecules could be created by interaction of the solar wind with interplanetary dust grains. The delivery of these molecules to early Earth may have contributed to the generation of life on our planet.