Prediction and Rationalization of Abundant C-N-H Molecules in Different Environments.

The extreme chemical diversity of C m N n H k molecules is at the same time very important (central in organic chemistry) and difficult to rationalize in the sense that some molecules are abundant and easy to synthesize, while others are rare and difficult to make. Using the recently developed criteria of molecular "magicity", combined with evolutionary structure prediction and quantum-chemical calculations, we study these molecules in a wide range of compositions (0 ≤ m ≤ 13, 0 ≤ n ≤ 4, and 0 ≤ k ≤ 14). "Magic" molecules are defined as those that are lower in energy than any isochemical mixture of molecules with the nearest compositions. The predicted "magic" molecules are in good agreement with compounds found in versatile environments (interstellar and circumstellar media, Titan's lower atmosphere, and crude oil fractions) and in experimental chemistry. This work shows the predictive power of our approach, capable of predicting and explaining stable molecules in complex systems.