Chemical fate of interstellar nitriles

Determine whether nitriles can be converted into more saturated nitrogen-bearing species under interstellar conditions or instead remain chemical end-points because of the stability of the carbon–nitrogen triple bond.

Background

Nitriles are widespread in the interstellar medium and may serve as reservoirs and precursors for more complex nitrogen-bearing molecules. However, progression from nitriles such as HCN and CH3CN toward more saturated species such as methanimine and methylamine appears observationally restricted.

The paper identifies the subsequent chemical evolution of nitriles as unresolved, with implications for both interstellar molecular complexity and prebiotic chemistry.

References

Understanding the chemical fate of nitriles in the ISM, and the conditions under which they can be converted into more complex N-bearing species, therefore, remains an important open question in astrochemistry.

— Interstellar disparity: N- vs O-bearing molecules: A multidisciplinary perspective across interstellar environments  (2609.20551 - Bouvier et al., 17 Sep 2026) in Section 2.3, N-bearing species: the Cyanide (-CN) group; Section 5, Laboratory experiments and computations