The formation of complex organic molecules that consist of more than four atoms in space is one of the main questions in the field of astrochemistry and star formation. Although the exact formation... Show moreThe formation of complex organic molecules that consist of more than four atoms in space is one of the main questions in the field of astrochemistry and star formation. Although the exact formation mechanisms are not yet known, they are expected to form in thin ice layers on the surfaces of small interstellar dust grains through successive addition of H, C, N or O atoms to CO (carbon monoxide). In this thesis the formation of these molecules is studied in two different ways: simulation of interstellar ices analogues in the laboratory and observations of the same molecules after evaporation toward star forming regions. The laboratory experiments are high and ultra high vacuum setups in which ices of e.g. CO, CO2, HCOOH and CH3CHO are frozen out on an inert surface. The spectroscopy and the thermal behavior of pure and layered ices have been studied. Furthermore, the ices have been bombarded with H-atoms to test reactions schemes relevant for astronomical environments. In the second part of this thesis the same molecules have been observed with the single dish submillimeter telescopes the __James Clerk Maxwell Telescope__ at Hawaii and the Institut de Radioastronomie Millim_trique in Spain toward a sample star forming regions as well as with interferometer the SubMillimeter Array at Hawaii toward two sources. The relative abundances of molecules in different star forming regions measured with the single dish telescopes as well as the spatial extent of the emission detected with the interferometer has been used to determine the chemical relations between complex organics that have also been studied in the laboratory. Show less
