In-depth exploration of catalytic sites on amorphous solid water: I. The astrosynthesis of aminomethanol.

Chemical processes taking place on ice-grain mantles are pivotal to the complex chemistry of interstellar environments. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the catalytic effects of an amorphous solid water (ASW) surface on the reaction between ammonia (NH) and formaldehyde (HCO) to form aminomethanol (NHCHOH) using density functional theory. We identified potential catalytic sites based on the binding energy distribution of NH and HCO reactants, on a set-of-clusters surface model composed of 22 water molecules and found a total of 14 reaction paths.