SOFT X-RAY IRRADIATION OF METHANOL ICE: IMPLICATION FOR H2CO FORMATION IN INTERSTELLAR REGIONS

We performed 0.3 keV soft X-ray irradiation of a methanol ice at 8 K under ultra-high vacuum conditions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that soft X-rays are used to study photolysis of ice analogs. Despite the low irradiation dose of 10(-6) photons molecule(-1), the formation of formaldehyde has been observed. The results of our experiments suggest that X-rays may be a promising candidate to the formation of complex molecules in regions where UV radiation is severely inhibited.