Astrochemistry

matter and radiation in the space between the star systems in a galaxy

dust floating in space

thumb|Infographic showing the theorized origin of the chemical elements that make up the human body Astrochemistry is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the abundance and reactions of molecules in space and their interaction with radiation. The discipline overlaps with astronomy and chemistry. The term may refer to studies within both the Solar System and the interstellar medium. The investigation of elemental abundances and isotope ratios in Solar System materials, such as meteorites, is known as cosmochemistry, while the study of interstellar atoms and molecules and their interaction

spectral lines of the Sun

hydrocarbons composed of multiple aromatic rings

thumb|Neverland Regio, a dark region on Charon's north pole. The region is stained a dark brown by deposits of tholins Tholins (after the Greek ('''') "hazy" or "muddy"; from the ancient Greek word meaning "sepia ink") are a wide variety of organic compounds formed by solar ultraviolet or cosmic ray irradiation of simple carbon-containing compounds such as carbon dioxide (), methane () or ethane (), often in combination with nitrogen () or water (). Tholins are disordered polymer-like materials made of repeating chains of linked subunits and complex combinations of functional groups, typically

thumb|Meteorites are often studied as part of cosmochemistry.

spectral line of hydrogen state transitions

spectroscopic techniques that measure the absorption of radiation

any of several measures of the occurrence of different chemical elements

A biosignature is a phenomenon that can be explained by biological processes where all possible abiotic causes of this phenomenon have been eliminated. This term is mainly used in the field of astrobiology in the search for past or present extraterrestrial life, from planets and moons in the Solar System to exoplanets. Candidate biosignatures strongly indicate some of the earliest known life forms, aid studies of the origin of life on Earth as well as the possibility of life on Mars, Venus and elsewhere in the universe.

thumb|Butatriene, the simplest cumulene

geochemical classification grouping the chemical elements according to their preferred host phases

Empty region of space adjacent to the Local Group of galaxies.

chemical compound

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chemical compound

thumb|right|Diacetylene, the simplest polyyne

naturally occurring source of stimulated spectral line emission, typically in the microwave portion of the electromagnetic spectrum

Cryochemistry is the study of chemical interactions at temperatures below . It is derived from the Greek word cryos, meaning 'cold'. It overlaps with many other sciences, including chemistry, cryobiology, condensed matter physics, and even astrochemistry.

Tricarbon (systematically named 1λ2,3λ2-propadiene and '''catena-tricarbon''') is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula (also written [C(μ-C)C] or ). It is a colourless gas that only persists in dilution or solution as an adduct. It is one of the simplest unsaturated carbenes. Tricarbon can be found in interstellar space and can be produced in the laboratory by a process called laser ablation.

measure of spectral lines

Isobutyronitrile is a complex organic molecule that has recently been found in several meteorites arrived from space. The singularity of this chemical is due to the fact that it is the only one among the molecules arriving from the universe that has a branched, rather than straight, carbon backbone. The backbone is also larger than usual, in comparison with others.

Emission spectra characteristic of burning hydrocarbon fuels

electrochemical processes involving photons and the emission or absorption of light

absorption features in the spectra of astronomical objects in the Milky Way and other galaxies

field of study on atomic and molecular particles in space

chemical compound

radical

ice that forms in the interstellar medium

Propynylidyne is a chemical compound that has been identified in interstellar space.

space chemistry