# Formalde-hyde and Seek August 01, 2020 - [ News ](/news-categories/news) **Title:** An ALMA Survey of H2CO in Protoplanetary Disks **Authors:** Jamila Pegues, Karin Oberg, J. Bergner et al. **First Author Institution:** Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian Open access [arXiv](https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.12525) closed access on [ApJ](https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ab64d9) [Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV.](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/23/us/politics/person-woman-man-camera-tv-trump.html) What do all of these have in common? They are complex organisms or objects which are made of [organic molecules](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/organic-molecule#:~:text=explore%20dictionary-,organic%20molecule,hydrogen,%20oxygen,%20and%20nitrogen.). If we want to understand the origins of such earthly things, we need to understand how and where they form within [protoplanetary disks](https://astrobites.org/2011/03/11/review-article-protoplanetary-disks-and-their-evolution/). H2CO, or formaldehyde, is one of the most abundant organic molecules in the universe, and can serve as a precursor to more [complex organic molecules](https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-642-11274-4_337#:~:text=In%20astronomy,%20complex%20organic%20molecules,like%20molecules%20such%20as%20proteins.). Observing the location at which H2CO resides within a disk will shed insight into its formation, and thus the protoplanetary disk’s ability to form more complex molecules. Today’s paper surveys 15 protoplanetary disks looking at multiple H2CO [lines](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectral_line#:~:text=A%20spectral%20line%20is%20a,to%20identify%20atoms%20and%20molecules.). The authors seek to uncover the temperature, density, and origin of H2CO which will inform our knowledge of chemistry within disks. See also:- [ Press ](/news-items/team) Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#)