Preparation of methanediamine (CH₂(NH₂)₂)—A precursor to nucleobases in the interstellar medium

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 119; no. 51; pp. 1 - 7
• Main Authors: Marks, Joshua H., Wang, Jia, Fortenberry, Ryan C., Kaiser, Ralf I.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Academy of Sciences 20.12.2022
• Subjects: Ammonia; Bases (nucleic acids); Cold Temperature; Cosmic Radiation; Cosmic rays; Diamines; Electrons; Galactic cosmic rays; Interstellar matter; Ions; Isomers; Low temperature; Mass Spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Methylamine; Methylhydrazine; Molecular clouds; Photoionization; Physical Sciences; Radicals; Sublimation; Vapor phases; radical reactions; ionization potentials; reaction mechanism; interstellar ice; astrochemistry

Although methanediamine (CH₂(NH₂)₂) has historically been the subject of theoretical scrutiny, it has never been isolated to date. Here, we report the preparation of methanediamine (CH₂(NH₂)₂)—the simplest diamine. Low-temperature interstellar analog ices composed of ammonia and methylamine were exp...