O) ice analogs subjected to simulated galactic cosmic rays (GCRs), including aldoses and polyols (glycolaldehyde, ethylene glycol, glyceraldehyde, and glycerol), as well as other compounds like glyoxal, methoxymethanol, (methoxymethoxy)methanol, formic acid, and methanetriol. The identification of these oxygen-bearing COMs was achieved using synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet photoionization reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SVUV-PI-ReToF-MS) during the temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) phase. Their unambiguous assignment was further confirmed by isotopic labeling experiments and by fitting the photoionization efficiency (PIE) curves of the parent product and fragment ions. The efficient synthesis of these COMs reveals constraints of the molecular complexity and reaction pathways available for forming aldoses and polyols in space, expanding our understanding of how such biorelevant precursors form in the extraterrestrial environments and their potential role in the abiotic origin of life on Earth.
Bai et al. (Wed,) studied this question.