What is the primary interaction holding the molecular ice together on dust grains in star-forming clouds?
Answer
Van der Waals forces
In the near-vacuum of a star-forming cloud, the primary interaction holding the molecular ice together on dust grains is the much weaker Van der Waals forces, contrasting with the strong hydrogen bonds found in terrestrial water ice.
Related Questions
What is the officially recognized coldest temperature measured by a ground-based thermometer on Earth?What temperature did satellite data reveal on the East Antarctic Plateau during cloudless nights?Which location holds the title for the coldest permanently inhabited place on Earth?At standard atmospheric pressure, at what temperature does carbon dioxide sublimate (form dry ice)?In the context of the interstellar medium, what does the term "ice" primarily refer to?Where was the coldest cloud, containing water vapor at 33 K, observed by the JWST?What is the current benchmark temperature for the coldest *ice* detected in the cosmos using JWST data?To what temperature must the JWST's MIRI instrument be actively cooled for mid-infrared observations?What is the primary interaction holding the molecular ice together on dust grains in star-forming clouds?What is the core principle regarding the temperature of a measurement device used to study ultra-low temperatures?