New research is providing insight into the chemistry of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), molecules of high interest in astrochemistry. PAHs are complex molecules and studying them could help scientists discover and understand new physical and chemical phenomena.

PAHs are diverse in their structure, and are found in a wide variety of environments on Earth and beyond, including the interstellar medium and in comets. It has been suggested that PAHs could have played a role in the origins of life due to their availability in the Universe and their high stability.

The paper, “Electronically Excited States of Anisotropically Extended Singly- Deprotonated PAH Anions,” was published in The Journal of Physical Chemistry. The study was based on work supported by the NASA Astrobiology Institute element of the NASA Astrobiology Program.