NONTRADITIONAL PATHWAYS OF EXTRATERRESTRIAL FORMATION OF ORGANIC-COMPOUNDS

The mechanisms of solid-phase reactions that have been experimentally and theoretically studied during recent decades and can be directly re lated to the formation of organic substances in space and their delive ry to Earth and to the problems of prebiotic evolution are considered. Among these mechanisms are molecular tunneling (hypothesis of the col d prehistory of life), polycondensation of solid monomers by shock wav es (problem of the delivery of organic substances to Earth by meteorit es), thermal and thermal-wave explosions, and oscillations of temperat ure and radical concentrations in smalt cold particles under radiation exposure, mechanochemical explosions and autowave propagation of chem ical reactions due to the positive feedback between fragile destructio n of solids and reactions at freshly formed surfaces.