Environmental Chemistry

Astrochemistry

Astrochemistry is the study of the abundance and reactions of molecules in the universe, and their interaction with radiation.m. The discipline is an overlap of astronomy and chemistry. The word "astrochemistry" can be applied to both the solar system and the interstellar medium. The study of element abundance and isotopic ratios in solar system objects, such as meteorites, is also called cosmochemistry, while the study of interstellar atoms and molecules and their interaction with radiation is sometimes called molecular astrophysics. Of particular interest is the formation, atomic and chemical composition, evolution, and fate of molecular clouds, because it is from these clouds that solar systems are formed.