astrochemistry

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 with radiation is sometimes called molecular astrophysics. The formation, composition, evolution and fate of molecular clouds is of particular interest, as these clouds are the birthplaces of planetary systems.

== History == As an offshoot of astronomy and chemistry, the history of astrochemistry follows the development of both fields. Advances in observational and experimental spectroscopy enabled the detection of an ever‑growing range of molecules within planetary systems and the surrounding interstellar medium. The expanding inventory of detected species, made possible by improvements in spectroscopy and related technologies, has in turn broadened the chemical space accessible to astrochemical research.