Interstellar formation of 1,2-propanediol (CH₃CH(OH)CH₂OH) and 1,2-ethenediol (HOCHCHOH)-key precursors to sugars and sugar derivatives.

ABSTRACT: Although sugars and sugar derivatives-molecules critical to the origins of life-have been identified in carbonaceous meteorites with total abundances typically higher than that of amino acids, their underlying formation mechanisms in interstellar environments remain poorly understood. This study reports the first formation of 1,2-propanediol (CH₃CH(OH)CH₂OH) and 1,2-ethenediol (HOCHCHOH) in low-temperature model interstellar ices composed of methane (CH₄) and ethylene glycol (HOCH₂CH₂OH). 1,2-Propanediol forms via the barrierless radical-radical recombination of the methyl (ĊH₃) with the 1,2-dihydroxyethyl (HOĊHCH₂OH), while 1,2-ethenediol is produced through the decomposition of ethylene glycol. Utilizing

SUBMITTER: Wang J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12520177 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature