Chapter 4: Gas Phase Chemical Networks in Interstellar Clouds

Can we construct a network of reactions, using those types described in Chapter 3, that will be effective in generating many of the species detected in the interstellar medium? We show that the crucial stages are the initiating steps in which the hydrides of the most abundant elements are formed. After those initiating steps are identified and taken, a large range of fairly simple molecules can be synthesized using a variety of straightforward exchange reactions. Finally, we show how greater molecular complexity in carbon-containing molecules can be introduced. Evidently, simple gas phase chemistry can lead to an effective network for the production of a wide variety of interstellar molecules.