Years ago, scientists thought that space was so harsh that molecules would not form. Instead of complex molecules forming in space, they would immediately be broken apart by intense energies and cold voids. We have discovered that this is not true. Complex molecules can exist in space and now we are going to be able to detect them with the technology being implemented at the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in northern Chile. New technology is allowing astrochemists to speed up the process of analyzing chemicals based on their signature elecromagnetic emissions. Over 170 chemicals have already been discovered through intense study, yet the amount of time and effort put into these discoveries has been intense. With this new technology, we should be able to look at a nebula and quickly determine what chemicals are there and which are not.
If we are to investigate the universe, we don’t just want to know the distances, energies, and masses involved. We want to understand what a place is like and understanding what chemicals and molecules are there is key to this type of understanding. We need to know things like “Is there water there?”, or “Is the environment so acidic or toxic that our basis of life could never exist or survive?”. Scientists have also been able to find many of the building blocks of life just floating freely in cloudy nebulae and this type of information is essential in the understanding of how life forms. By understanding large gaseous nebulae, we can better understand the chemicals and molecules involved in the formation of stars and planets. A better understanding of the chemical composition of the universe will ultimately give us a greater knowledge of exactly what role chemistry plays on a universal scale.

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