The National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Astronomical Sciences awarded a 3-year, $418,655 Project Grant to the University of Colorado to investigate key gas-phase reaction mechanisms driving the formation of complex cyclic hydrocarbons in cold interstellar clouds. Under this award, the research team will use a combined experimental and computational approach to study the reactivity of the radical species ortho-benzyne and 2,3-pyridyne, which are critical in the synthesis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and other complex molecules detected in space. The project will leverage a pyrolysis microreactor, double imaging photoelectron photoion coincidence spectrometer, and quantum chemical calculations to characterize product formation from these reactions. Results will provide critical inputs to astrochemical models to better explain the presence of complex cyclic hydrocarbons in space and guide future radio astronomical observations. This award is funded under NSF's Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049) to promote progress in the physical sciences and strengthen the nation's scientific enterprise.
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