Chemistry

Three body photodissociation of the water molecule and its implications for prebiotic oxygen production

Y. Chang, Y. Yu, et al.

Uncover the origins of oxygen on Earth and beyond! This groundbreaking research by Yao Chang, Yong Yu, Feng An, and their team reveals experimental evidence of three-body dissociation of H₂O producing O atoms, showcasing a vital prebiotic O₂ production pathway in interstellar photochemistry.

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Abstract

The origin of oxygen on Earth and other planets is a fundamental question. This paper presents experimental evidence of three-body dissociation (TBD) of H₂O producing O atoms upon vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) excitation using a tunable VUV free electron laser. TBD is shown to be the dominant pathway in VUV H₂O photochemistry (90-107.4 nm). The abundance of water in interstellar space suggests TBD of H₂O and subsequent O atom recombination is a significant prebiotic O₂ production pathway, requiring incorporation into interstellar photochemical models.

Publisher

Nature Communications

Published On

Apr 30, 2021

Authors

Yao Chang, Yong Yu, Feng An, Zijie Luo, Donghui Quan, Xia Zhang, Xixi Hu, Qinming Li, Jiayue Yang, Zhichao Chen, Li Che, Weiqing Zhang, Guorong Wu, Daiqian Xie, Michael N. R. Ashfold, Kaijun Yuan, Xueming Yang

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