Space chemistry modeling
Space chemistry and computational chemistry

Understanding how all this interstellar molecular matter evolves chemically under the influence of interactions between gases, grains, photons and energetic particles (cosmic rays) is a discipline in its own right: astrochemistry. It brings together astronomers, chemists (experimentalists and theoreticians) and physicists (specialists in atoms, molecules and solids). With the improvement of space detection methods, more and more molecules are being discovered in a wide variety of astrophysical objects (stellar envelopes, interstellar medium, planetary atmospheres, comet tails). Explaining this chemistry is therefore becoming a major challenge, as it reflects the physical conditions (matter densities, temperatures, age) of the astrophysical objects where these molecules are observed, making space chemistry modeling a powerful tool for studying the physics of space environments.