Laboratory Test Shows Ion-Molecule Collision Theory Fails to Produce Benzene in Space Conditions

A laboratory experiment has revealed that the creation of benzene in space may not be true. Researchers in the United States attempted to recreate the chemical reactions, which is believed to produce benzene in interstellar environments. Benzene plays a critical role in the development of larger carbon compounds that is necessary for life. However, the new findings reveals that the chemical process failed to produce benzene, which was conducted in controlled conditions stimulating space.

Test Results Disprove Long-Standing Theory

According to the study published in Nature Astronomy, researchers from the University of Colorado's JILA and the National Institute of Standards and Technology set out to test a theory proposed during the 1990s. The theory had suggested that ion-molecule collisions involving acetylene and a proton donor could lead to the formation of benzene in the cold vacuum of space. This idea had been significant because benzene is considered a starting point in the creation of larger carbon-rich compounds.

The research team led by G S Kocheril along with C Zagorec-Marks and H J Lewandowski designed an experiment to replicate space-like conditions inside their laboratory. The experiment was carried out at extremely low temperatures close to 1 Kelvin. Pressure levels were reduced to a trillionth of what is experienced at sea level. A mass spectrometer was used to monitor molecular reactions during the test.

No Formation of Benzene Detected

The test results showed that although acetylene molecules were protonated by N2H+ ions as expected, no benzene was formed when hydrogen molecules were introduced. This outcome indicated that the initial aromatic ring required for the creation of larger polycyclic hydrocarbons was not produced.

Alternative Theories Being Considered

As per reports the attention may now shift towards alternative pathways for benzene formation in space. One such approach had been explored in 2011 at the University of Hawaii where neutral radicals were considered possible contributors to the process. The research community is expected to revisit such models in the wake of these latest findings.