2016/06/15 by Brett A. McGuire, P. Brandon Carroll, Ryan A. Loomis +5 · 1 citation
Chemistry · Physics and Astronomy · #Absorption (acoustics) #Advanced Chemical Physics Studies #Astrobiology #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Chemistry #Earth (classical element) #Enantiomer #Homochirality #Molecular Spectroscopy and Structure #Molecule #Nuclear magnetic resonance #Optics #Organic chemistry #Oxide #Physics #Propylene oxide #Stereochemistry #astro-ph.GA
paper · pdf · doi:10.1126/science.aae0328
published as Science 2016, 352, 1449
openalex publication_date 2016/06/15 · arxiv created 2016/06/23 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · arxiv updated 2016/08/29 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/06
Life on Earth relies on chiral molecules-that is, species not superimposable on their mirror images. This manifests itself in the selection of a single molecular handedness, or homochirality, across the biosphere. We present the astronomical detection of a chiral molecule, propylene oxide (CH3CHCH2O), in absorption toward the Galactic center. Propylene oxide is detected in the gas phase in a cold, extended molecular shell around the embedded, massive protostellar clusters in the Sagittarius B2 star-forming region. This material is representative of the earliest stage of solar system evolution in which a chiral molecule has been found.