Tentative detection of the glycine isomer glycolamide in a hot molecular core

¹ School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University, Daxuecheng South Rd. 55, Chongqing 401331, PR China
² Chongqing Key Laboratory of Chemical Theory and Mechanism, Chongqing University, Daxuecheng South Rd. 55, Chongqing 401331, PR China
³ Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Königstuhl 17, Heidelberg 69117, Germany
⁴ Department of Physics, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Ren’ai Road 111, Suzhou 215123, PR China
⁵ LUX, Observatoire de Paris, PSL Research University, CNRS, Sorbonne Universités, Paris 75014, France
⁶ Center for Astrophysics, GuangZhou University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China

^★ Corresponding authors: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Received: 6 February 2026
Accepted: 5 April 2026

Abstract

Understanding whether prebiotic molecules can endure and reform through the energetic stages of star formation is essential for tracing the continuity of interstellar chemistry toward life. Glycolamide, an isomer of glycine, was recently detected in the molecular cloud G+0.693-0.027. However, establishing its presence in warm, high-density environments is crucial to evaluate the chemical continuity of amides. Here we report the tentative detection of glycolamide in a hot molecular core, G358.93-0.03 MM1, using ALMA 1 mm observations. Seven unblended or only mildly blended emission lines were identified, yielding an abundance of (1.7±0.2)×10⁻¹⁰ relative to H₂. The comparable formamide/glycolamide and acetamide/glycolamide abundance ratios in both sources suggest a chemically connected amide network across different environments. These results demonstrate that amides can persist and chemically evolve during massive star formation, tracing the chemical continuity from interstellar to protostellar environments.