Kavli Affiliate: Ke Wang
| First 5 Authors: , , , ,
| Summary:
Acetamide (CH$_3$CONH$_2$), a key interstellar amide and a methyl
derivative of formamide (NH$_2$CHO), has been sparsely detected, limiting
insights into its prebiotic relevance. We present the first systematic survey
for acetamide toward 52 hot molecular cores using ALMA Band 6 data. Acetamide
has been detected in 10 cores, markedly expanding the inventory of known
emitters. The derived column densities of acetamide range from
$(2.5pm0.9)times10^14$ to $(1.5pm0.6)times10^16$ cm$^-2$, compared to
formamide’s $(1.1pm0.1)times10^15$ to $(6.9pm0.4)times10^16$ cm$^-2$.
The nearly constant abundance ratios (~3-9) and strong abundance correlation
between the two amides across sources suggest a chemically linked formation
pathway, likely on grain surfaces. The presence of peptide-like molecules in
these regions implies that complex organic species can survive star formation
processes, offering a potential pathway toward prebiotic chemistry. These
findings constrain the dominant grain surface formation routes of acetamide,
confirm its broader prevalence in highmass star-forming regions, and underscore
the importance of targeted amide surveys in tracing the chemical evolution
toward prebiotic complexity.
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