Studying the chemical inventory of the interstellar medium (ISM) is critical to developing new theories of molecular formation and evolution. Furthermore, the search for biologically relevant species and their precursors has been at the forefront of astrobiology and astrochemistry in recent years. As such, pyruvic acid (C3H4O3, or HOOCOCCH3), one of the main reactants in the Krebs cycle of biological systems in which sugar is metabolized and glucose is converted to lactic acid, is a prime target for astrobiological observations. This requires that its microwave, millimeter, and sub-millimeter wavelength spectra be well-characterized as the Boltzmann peak for these molecules at astrophysically relevant temperatures lies in the 300-600 GHz range. The centimeter wave, microwave, and millimeter wave spectra of pyruvic acid have been reported previously. However, there exist gaps in the millimeter wave spectrum and no submillimeter spectrum has yet been acquired. Here we report a millimeter-submillimeter study of pyruvic acid that extends its spectrum up to 1 THz while refining the rotational constants and providing a better basis for astronomical detection. Additional work has focused on the dissociation products of methylamine (CH3NH2), a molecule of potential prebiotic relevance. It is likely that the radical products of cosmic-ray induced photodissociation of methylamine are important in prebiotic interstellar pathways. Therefore, we are studying the radical species produced in a methylamine discharge, such as CH2NH2, CH3NH, CH2NH, and CH3N. The rotational spectra of these molecules have never been measured due to their instability. We attempt to produce these species in a high voltage discharge of methylamine coupled with a supersonic expansion and to probe them with millimeter/submillimeter spectroscopy. Here we will present the results of both of these studies and their implications for astrochemistry and astrobiology.

Measurement of the millimeter/sub-millimeter wave spectrum of biologically relevant species for comparison to astronomical data: Pyruvic acid and methylamine discharge products

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.