Our Sun and planetary system were born about 4.5 billion years ago. How did this happen,
and what is the nature of our heritage from these early times? This review tries to address …

The introduction of chemistry into astronomy is relatively recent and can be dated back to
about half a century ago, when molecules were discovered in space. In the 1930s it was …

ABSTRACT Our modern day Solar System has 4.6× 109 yr of evolution behind it with just a
few relics of its birth conditions remaining. Comets are thought to be some of the most …

1.1. Interstellar Clouds and Interstellar Chemistry A space between stars is not completely a
vacuum, but is filled up with interstellar gas, whose average number density of H nuclei in all …

An exhaustive chemical characterization of dense cores is mandatory to our understanding
of chemical composition changes from a starless to a protostellar stage. However, only a few …

Nitriles play a key role as molecular precursors in prebiotic experiments based on the RNA-
world scenario for the origin of life. These chemical compounds could have been partially …

Abstract Peptide bonds (N–C= O) play a key role in metabolic processes since they link
amino acids into peptide chains or proteins. Recently, several molecules containing peptide …

The exquisite features of molecular photochemistry are key to any complete understanding
of the chemical processes governed by potential energy surfaces (PESs). It is well …

Using the Yebes 40 m and IRAM 30 m radiotelescopes, we detected two series of
harmonically related lines in space that can be fitted to a symmetric rotor. The lines have …

Episodic accretion in protostars leads to luminosity outbursts that end up heating their
surroundings. This rise in temperature pushes the snow lines back, enabling the desorption …