Joint Speaker Event: Brett McGuire
- James Walsh
- Aug 17
- 1 min read
The American Chemical Society Local Sections of Connecticut cordially invite you to our joint speaker event!
When: Tuesday, September 2, 2025 | 6:00pm – 8:30pm
Where: Attend virtual via Zoom or join us in person at Joey C's Boathouse Cantina & Grill in Stratford
RSVP here by August 24, 2025: https://forms.gle/NQC4eaL3qCrybMJz8
The Evolution of Aromatic Chemistry in the Interstellar Medium
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), a class of large hydrocarbon molecules, are thought to sequester a large fraction (10-25%) of all carbon in the Universe. While strong circumstantial evidence for their presence in space has existed since the 1980s, it is only in the last few years that the first individual PAH species have been definitively detected. In this talk, I'll describe the synthetic and spectroscopic laboratory work, computational approaches, and observational efforts which have led to these discoveries, discuss our current understanding of the formation and molecular evolution of PAHs in space, and describe the growing body of evidence that these species, in no small part, influence the inventory of raw organic material delivered to early planets. I'll conclude by taking a critical look at open questions related to PAH chemistry in space and the prospects for the field going forward.
This could also be a great opportunity for you to network with other academic and industry chemistry professionals in Connecticut
Event Hosts
Additional information: https://www.acsnewhaven.org/events/speaker-series
Questions? Email acsnewhavensection@gmail.com or CQIU@newhaven.edu