Planets form within disks composed of gas, ice, and dust in orbit around young stars. The distribution of volatiles (gas+ice) within these disks profoundly impacts both the chemical and physical outcomes of planet formation– including the delivery of prebiotic building blocks to new worlds. In this talk, I will highlight our recent advances in disentangling how organic complexity is built up during the star and planet formation sequence, the role of interstellar inheritance in setting disk volatile compositions, and the distinctive volatile chemistry at play during the planet formation epoch. These insights are gained by combining telescope observations, ice chemistry experiments, and disk simulations, each of which contributes an indispensable piece of the puzzle. The field of disk chemistry has a bright future to look forward to, and I will describe avenues for probing disk gas chemistry on smaller and smaller spatial scales, obtaining direct constraints on disk ice compositions, and making connections between extrasolar disk systems and the formation of our own solar system.
