Complex Organic Molecules in the ISM: From Molecular Clouds to Protoplanetary Disks
Complex organic molecules (COMs), defined as molecular species containing more than five atoms, including carbon bonded to hydrogen, are widely detected across various astrophysical environments, from cold molecular clouds to planet-forming disks and the Solar System. The surprisingly high degree of molecular complexity in space is a product of rich gas-phase and dust surface chemistry, shaped by the evolution of cosmic environments. By studying COMs in space, astronomers aim to better understand their rich, often unique chemistry (from Earth’s perspective) and their link to the prebiotic life-building blocks.
Astronomical Detections of COMs
Laboratory Experiments on COM Formation
Computational Modelling of Astrochemical Networks
Exogenous Hypothesis of the Origin of Life
Alexey Potapov
Dr. habil., Heisenberg position, Institute of Geosciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany
Research interests: physics and chemistry of interstellar clouds, protoplanetary disks and (exo)planet atmospheres; origin of life; catalytic formation of molecules on cosmic dust grains; formation, evolution and properties of cosmic dust grains; exogenous synthesis of biomolecular precursors; development of experimental setups and approaches for astrochemistry studies.
Research methods: laboratory experiments and observational radio and infrared astronomy.
Daniele Fulvio
Senior Researcher, Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF), INAF-OACT, Catania, Italy
Martin McCoustra
ScotCHEM Professor of Chemical Physics, Institute of Chemical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Scotland
Selcuk Topal
Associate Professor of Astrophysics, Department of Physics, Van Yuzuncu Yil University, Turkey and a visiting academic, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, UK
Dima Semenov
Dr., Senior Post-Doc, Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Heidelberg, Germany
Recent Work
Potapov A., Pollok K., Langenhorst F., McCoustra M., Garrod R., “Cosmic dust as a prerequisite for the formation of complex organic molecules in space?”, The Astrophysical Journal, 2025, 993, 49, DOI: https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ae08ae