This scheme shows the mechanism of formation for Hexamethylenetetramine (HMT; C₆H₁₂N₄) which we have identified in our ice irradiation residues. It also shows some known routes of its destruction. When exposed to UV radiation, HMT produces cyanide compounds and oxides of carbon and nitrogen. Thus, HMT could be one of the parent molecules of cometary CN. The photolysis of HMT also produces "XCN."

Of particular interest for astrobiology and the origin of life, when HMT is exposed to strongly acidic conditions it breaks down to yield glycine and other amino acids. Thus, if HMT manufactured in the interstellar medium was brought to the early earth in the form of cometary or meteoritic material, it may have played a role in pre-biotic chemistry

For more detailed information on our laboratory work on our work concerning HMT, see:

Bernstein, M. P., Sandford, S. A., Allamandola, L. J., & Chang, S. (1994). Infrared Spectrum of Matrix-Isolated Hexamethylenetetramine in Ar and H₂O at Cryogenic Temperatures. J. Phys. Chem. 98, 12206-12210.

Bernstein, M. P., Sandford, S. A., Allamandola, L. J., Chang, S., & Scharberg, M. A. (1995). Organic Compounds Produced by Photolysis of Realistic Interstellar and Cometary Ice Analogs Containing Methanol. Astrophys. J. 454, 327-344.