Deep space organometallic chemistry

Interstellar clouds, characterized by extremely low temperatures and very low particle densities, host a variety of commonplace and exotic metal-containing molecules; quantum chemical calculations are ideally suited to their characterization. Such calculations have proven invaluable in unravelling the chemical secrets of cold, gaseous extraterrestrial environments in which metal-based chemistry is beginning to be seen as an active and fruitful field of exploration. By probing the formation of minimalistic metal compounds such as MgNC, we hope to obtain valuable new clues to the distribution of the chemical elements within star- and planet-forming regions.