Chemists have discovered an "impossible" chemical reaction in space that may change understanding of how alcohols are created and destroyed, according to reports.
"To explain the impossible, the researchers propose that a quantum mechanical phenomenon, known as 'quantum tunnelling', is revving up the chemical reaction," the University of Leeds said in a news release. "They found that the rate at which the reaction occurs is 50 times greater at minus 210 degrees Celsius than at room temperature."
According to the University, in theory, extreme cold should stop chemical reactions from occurring because there is not enough energy to "rearrange chemical bonds." Space matter like dust grains found in interstellar clouds may be the key to giving chemical reactions the environment they need. However, it does not explain how gases can react in the cold conditions.
"The answer lies in quantum mechanics," Professor Dwayne Heard, Head of the School of Chemistry at the University of Leeds, said in the news release. "Chemical reactions get slower as temperatures decrease, as there is less energy to get over the 'reaction barrier'. But quantum mechanics tells us that it is possible to cheat and dig through this barrier instead of going over it. This is called 'quantum tunnelling'."
The research team's findings were published online on June 30 in in the journal Nature Chemistry. The team was able to recreate the cold space environment in their study:
The researchers were able to recreate the cold environment of space in the laboratory and observe a reaction of the alcohol methanol and an oxidising chemical called the 'hydroxyl radical' at minus 210 degrees Celsius. They found that not only do these gases react to create methoxy radicals at this incredibly cold temperature, but that the rate of reaction is 50 times faster than at room temperature.
Since the experiments, chemists have shifted their focus to the reactions of other alcohols at extreme cold temperatures.
"If our results continue to show a similar increase in the reaction rate at very cold temperatures, then scientists have been severely underestimating the rates of formation and destruction of complex molecules, such as alcohols, in space," Heard said.
For more information about the "impossible" chemical reactions, click here.
