Synthesis of further biological compounds in interstellar-like conditions

Abstract

A graphite target is bombarded at very low pressures with molecular beams of dihydrogen and dinitrogen, in the presence of low-pressure dioxygen. The large variety of complex organic molecules thus produced have been characterized by their mass spectra (molecular and fragmentation peaks) and identified by comparison of these spectra with authentic samples. This extends the variety of complex biological substances obtained in these ‘interstellar-like’ conditions.