astrochemistry
AN APPROACH TO ASTROCHEMISTRY -Arif Faisal Ahmed Tholins: The Complex Organic Molecules Of Space, Which May Be The Raw Materials For Life. The word ‘Tholin’ was derived from the Greek word ‘tholĪs’, meaning ‘hazy’ or ‘muddy’. They are a wide variety of organic compounds formed by Solar ultraviolet irradiation or cosmic rays from simple carbon containing compounds such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) or ethane (C2H6), often in combination with nitrogen gas (N2) or water (H2O). Tholins are complex polymer-like materials made of repeating chains of linked subunits and complex combinations of functional groups, including heteropolymers that give a reddish, organic surface covering on certain planetary surfaces, like the reddish-brown cap of the North Pole of Charon, the largest of five moons of Pluto. Tholin formation: Tholins may be a major constituent of the interstellar medium. Tholin is ...