{
  "id": "2110.15887",
  "version": "v1",
  "published": "2021-10-29T16:24:18.000Z",
  "updated": "2021-10-29T16:24:18.000Z",
  "title": "Carbon Atom Reactivity with Amorphous Solid Water: H$_2$O Catalyzed Formation of H$_2$CO",
  "authors": [
    "Germán Molpeceres",
    "Johannes Kästner",
    "Gleb Fedoseev",
    "Danna Qasim",
    "Richard Schömig",
    "Harold Linnartz",
    "Thanja Lamberts"
  ],
  "comment": "Accepted for publication in JPCL",
  "doi": "10.1021/acs.jpclett.1c02760",
  "categories": [
    "astro-ph.GA"
  ],
  "abstract": "We report new computational and experimental evidence of an efficient and astrochemically relevant formation route to formaldehyde (H$_2$CO). This simplest carbonylic compound is central to the formation of complex organics in cold interstellar clouds, and is generally regarded to be formed by the hydrogenation of solid-state carbon monoxide. We demonstrate H$_2$CO formation via the reaction of carbon atoms with amorphous solid water. Crucial to our proposed mechanism is a concerted proton transfer catalyzed by the water hydrogen bonding network. Consequently, the reactions $^3$C + H$_2$O -> $^3$HCOH and $^1$HCOH -> $^1$H$_2$CO can take place with low or without barriers, contrary to the high-barrier traditional internal hydrogen migration. These low barriers or absence thereof explain the very small kinetic isotope effect in our experiments when comparing the formation of H$_2$CO to D$_2$CO. Our results reconcile the disagreement found in the literature on the reaction route: C + H$_2$O -> H$_2$CO.",
  "revisions": [
    {
      "version": "v1",
      "updated": "2021-10-29T16:24:18.000Z"
    }
  ],
  "analyses": {
    "keywords": [
      "amorphous solid water",
      "carbon atom reactivity",
      "catalyzed formation",
      "high-barrier traditional internal hydrogen migration",
      "small kinetic isotope effect"
    ],
    "tags": [
      "journal article"
    ],
    "publication": {
      "publisher": "ACS"
    },
    "note": {
      "typesetting": "TeX",
      "pages": 0,
      "language": "en",
      "license": "arXiv",
      "status": "editable"
    }
  }
}