• DOI:10.1088/0004-637X/777/2/90
• Corpus ID: 13969635

Glycolaldehyde formation via the dimerization of the formyl radical

@article{Woods2013GlycolaldehydeFV,
  title={Glycolaldehyde formation via the dimerization of the formyl radical},
  author={Paul M. Woods and Ben Slater and Zamaan Raza and Serena Viti and Wendy A. Brown and Daren J. Burke Department of PhysicsAstronomy and University College London and UK. and Department of Physical Chemistry},
  journal={The Astrophysical Journal},
  year={2013},
  volume={777},
  pages={90}
}

• P. Woods, B. Slater, +6 authors D. Chemistry
• Published 4 September 2013
• Chemistry
• The Astrophysical Journal

Glycolaldehyde, the simplest monosaccharide sugar, has recently been detected in low- and high-mass star-forming cores. Following our previous investigation into glycolaldehyde formation, we now consider a further mechanism for the formation of glycolaldehyde that involves the dimerization of the formyl radical, HCO. Quantum mechanical investigation of the HCO dimerization process upon an ice surface is predicted to be barrierless and therefore fast. In an astrophysical context, we show that this mechanism can be very efficient in star-forming cores. It is limited by the availability of the formyl radical, but models suggest that only very small amounts of CO are required to be converted to HCO to meet the observational constraints.