Relationship between ices and gas phase organic compounds in simulated extraterrestrial environments

Ices are significant sources of organic matter in various extraterrestrial environments, including the interstellar medium, protoplanetary disks, comets, or icy satellites. This study tested the impact of ice compositions on the formation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the gas phase in simulating the warming up of photoprocessed icy grains at the edge of a protoplanetary disk. 39 VOCs (alkanes, alkenes, esters, ketones, ethers, alcohols, aldehydes, amines, nitriles, amides) were quantified during the warming of different H₂O:CH₃OH:NH₃ ices using gas chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass linked to a vacuum chamber. Different ice compositions showed direct relationships to VOC formation processes and unveiled the active role of NH₃ reactivity. These results indicate that quantifying VOCs in the gas phase could provide insights into composition and surface reactivity of icy extraterrestrial objects. This experimental work further strengths the role that ices play in the enrichment of gas phase of various extraterrestrial environments.