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Usually, metal-ions in terrestrial chemistry will be solvated - either by gas-phase solvent molecules or by liquid-phase solvent molecules. But the interstellar medium (ISM) is never in local thermodynamic equilibrium. Moreover, the solvation of any system is driven by the system's proclivity to attain thermodynamic stability. But given the lack of local thermodynamic equilibrium in the ISM, solvation should not at all be an important factor in the ISM. Is it right or wrong? Any reference from the Astrochemistry/Astrophysics community will also be highly appreciated.

James K
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RaRa
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  • User posted same question in chemistry section ;-( https://chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/78724/for-chemical-reactions-occurring-in-the-interstellar-medium-which-involve-metal – MaxW Jul 13 '17 at 04:03
  • haha, yes I did! Wanted to get the Chemistry perspective and the Astronomy perspective here. Got an awesome Chemistry perspective. Yet to get an astronomy perspective! – RaRa Jul 13 '17 at 05:39
  • I don't think the two perspective's are going to be that different. This is mostly a chemistry question in the setting of space. Science is science whether you ask a chemist or an astronomer. – zephyr Jul 13 '17 at 12:51
  • Well, the scientific perspective ought to be one, not many. I think you got an excellent answer in the Chemistry stack. As someone who had an interest in chemistry back in the day, I was curious myself. – Florin Andrei Aug 01 '18 at 18:29

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