Evolutionary Models of Interstellar Chemistry

Abstract

Evolutionary chemical models are ultimately unavoidable for a full understanding of interstellar clouds. They include not only the chemical processes but also the dynamical processes by which the modeled object came to be the way it is. From an evolutionary perspective, dark cores may be ephemeral objects and dynamical equilibrium an exception rather than norm. Evolutionary models have numerous advantages over “classical” fixed condition equilibrium models. They have the potential to provide more elegant explanations for the observed inter-cloud and intra-cloud chemical differences. The problem of the depletion of gas phase molecules by condensation onto the grain may also be less serious in evolutionary models. Hence, these models should be actively developed.