Scientists Detects First Chiral Molecule in Deep Space
Astrochemists from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have detected the first evidence of chiral molecule in the interstellar space 28,000 light years away from Earth.
Chiral molecules are two enantiomeric forms that are almost identical but are actually different molecules. These molecules have may behave same way physically in terms of melting, freezing, and absorbing light. However, each of the “twin” molecules may react chemically with other substances in different ways. Chiral molecules are known to be “handed” molecules and can be typically found in meteors and comets, but never been detected before in interstellar space.
The chiral molecule found in the stellar space is the propylene oxide (CH3CHCH2O), which is being used on Earth to make polyethylene plastics. It is detected near the center of our Milky Way galaxy in a star-forming cloud of dust and gas known as Sagittarius B2 (Sgr B2).
“Propylene oxide is among the most complex and structurally intricate molecules detected so far in space,” said Brandon Carroll, a chemistry graduate student at Caltech, in a statement. “Detecting this molecule opens the door for further experiments determining how and where molecular handedness emerges and why one form may be slightly more abundant than the other.”
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