Chemistry in Space

This volume contains the lectures presented at the first course of the Inter national School of Space Chemistry held in Erice (Sicily) from May 10 to May 20 at the 'E. Majorana Centre for Scientific Culture'. The course was attended by 57 participants from 11 countries. The recognition by Professor A. Zichichi that space chemistry is one of the important and rapidly growing scientific disciplines with many and varied appli cations provided the stimulation to initiate this new school. Historically, the study of chemistry in space had its major origins in comets, the solar nebula and circumstellar envelopes before the interstellar medium achieved its current prominence. A remarkably rapid development in interstellar chemistry was precipitated by the discovery of formaldehyde in the late 1960's made possible by the new radio observational techniques. A four atom molecule in interstellar space was indeed a surprise considering that only a short time ear lier there were still arguments about the existence of the simplest of all molecules - the hydrogen molecule. The application of ion-molecule reactions to interstellar cloud chemistry provided a rich variety of new possibilities which were, however, continuously under pressure to keep pace with radio-astronomical discoveries of more and more complex molecules.

Nuclear Processes -- Chemical Enrichment of the Interstellar Medium -- A Brief Introduction to the Cosmic Radiation -- Molecules and Dust in Interstellar and Circumstellar Environments -- Interstellar Chemistry -- The Molecular Composition of Dense Interstellar Clouds -- Molecular Clouds in Regions of Massive Star Formation -- Circumstellar Chemistry -- The Chemistry of Supernova 1987A -- Small Grains and Large Aromatic Molecules -- Physical Chemical and Optical Interactions with Interstellar Dust -- Physical and Chemical Effects Induced by Fast Ions in Ices of Astrophysical Interest -- Chemical Analyses with the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) -- Solar System -- Chemistry in the Solar Nebula -- The Volatile Composition of Comets Deduced from Ultraviolet Spectroscopy -- From Interstellar Dust to Comets to Comet Dust: A Test of the Interstellar Dust Model of Comets -- Feature of Experimental Studying of Comet Halley Dust Particles Elemental Composition -- Chemical Composition of Halley's Dust Component of the Puma-2 Data -- Contributed papers -- Heavy Metal Abundances in Nova Ejecta Revealed by Infrared Coronal Emission Lines -- Impulsive Model of Collisions -- Adiabatic Approxima…