Scientists recreate universe’s first chemical reaction after 13 billion years
Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics and University of Giessen recreated the universe's first chemical reaction after 13 billion years. They reacted helium hydride ions (HeH⁺, the earliest molecule) with deuterium atoms, producing a heavier hydrogen ion (HD⁺) and neutral helium. This reaction was key to cooling early gas clouds and enabling the first stars to form.