Disk Chemistry and Cometary Composition
AbstractWe describe a theoretical study of protoplanetary disk chemistry. By considering physical conditions similar to that of the protosolar nebula, we attempt to assess the contribution made by material from the cooler nebular regions to cometesimal composition. Calculations are presented which determine the spatial and temporal chemistry of the gas and dust within the 5-40 AU comet-forming region of the nebula. We show that there is little radial variation in the solid-state distribution of some molecules which could potentially be parents of the carbon-chain species observed in comets. We conclude that the apparent variation in abundance of C2 and C3 between long- and short-period comets is the result of chemical processing during their lifetimes and not differences in composition at the time of formation.
