Formation of hydroxylamine on dust grains via ammonia oxidation

Abstract

The quest to detect prebiotic molecules in space, notably amino acids, requires an understanding of the chemistry involving nitrogen atoms. Hydroxylamine (NH${}_2$OH) is considered a precursor to the amino acid glycine. Although not yet detected, NH${}_2$OH is considered a likely target of detection with ALMA. We report on an experimental investigation of the formation of hydroxylamine on an amorphous silicate surface via the oxidation of ammonia. The experimental data are then fed into a simulation of the formation of NH${}_2$OH in dense cloud conditions. On ices at 14 K and with a modest activation energy barrier, NH${}_2$OH is found to be formed with an abundance that never falls below a factor 10 with respect to NH${}_3$. Suggestions of conditions for future observations are provided.

9 pages, 9 figures

References in corpus (5)

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• Laboratory and Computational Studies of Interstellar Ices
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• A major asymmetric ice trap in a planet-forming disk IV. Nitric oxide gas and a lack of CN tracing sublimating ices and a C/O ratio $<1$
• Processing of hydroxylamine, NH2OH, an important prebiotic precursor, on interstellar ices
• Hydroxylamine in Astrophysical Ices: IR Spectra and Cosmic Ray-Induced Radiolytic Chemistry