Electric Discharges in Cold Gas-Dust Clouds and Their Potential Role in the Primary Formation of Amino Acids

This paper examines the possibility that electrical discharges in cold gas and dust clouds may play a significant role in the primary formation of amino acids. It is proposed that powerful electrical discharges, propagating over distances of thousands of kilometers within interstellar dust clouds, may provide the energy necessary to catalyze the synthesis of complex organic molecules such as amino acids. These discharges occur in low-density regions of space where electric fields are strong enough to induce electron emission from dust particles, leading to high-energy chemical reactions. Calculations of the potential energy released by such discharges are presented, and their detectable infrared signatures are predicted.