No compelling evidence for clathrate hydrate formation under interstellar medium conditions over laboratory timescales

Abstract

A recent article reported experimental observations of methane and CO2 clathrate formation at conditions similar to the interstellar medium (ISM), namely 10-30 K and 10-10 mbar. The authors conducted time-dependent reflection-absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS) of vapor-deposited H2O:CH4 and H2O:CO2 mixtures and interpreted new blue and red -shifted peaks from those of trapped CH4 and CO2 in amorphous ice, respectively, as indicative of clathrate formation. In this Letter to the Editor, we point out potential pitfalls and caution against the implications drawn for the ISM.