Observations of some oxygen-containing and sulfur-containing organic molecules in cold dark clouds

Journal Article · Sat Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1989 · Astrophysical Journal; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/167643· OSTI ID:5509232

Irvine, W M; Friberg, P; Kaifu, N; Kitamura, Y; Kawaguchi, K ^[1]

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1. Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory, Amherst, MA (USA)

Observations of nine oxygen- and sulfur-containing organic molecules have been made toward the cold dark clouds TMC-1 and L134N. The presence of paraketene (H{sub 2}C{sub 2}O) in TMC-1 is confirmed for orthoketene, and has been observed for the first time and a total ketene column density of about 10 to the 13th/sq cm is found. Thioformaldehyde (H{sub 2}CS) is easily detectable in both TMC-1 and L134N, with a column density about five times larger in the former source. The fractional abundance of ketene is comparable to the predictions of ion-molecule chemistry, while that of thioformaldehyde in TMC-1 is one to two orders of magnitude greater than that expected from such models at steady state. Interstellar sulfur chemistry thus continues to be poorly understood. Upper limits are set for the column densities of formic acid (HCOOH), vinyl alcohol (CH{sub 2}CHOH), methyl formate (HCO{sub 2}CH{sub 3}), formamide (NH{sub 2}CHO), methyl mercaptan (CH{sub 3}SH), isothiocyanic acid (HNCS), and thioketene (H{sub 2}C{sub 2}S) in both sources. 39 refs.

• OSTI ID: 5509232
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal; (USA), Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal; (USA) Vol. 342; ISSN ASJOA; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640105* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Galaxies
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ALDEHYDES
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CHEMISTRY
COSMOCHEMISTRY
FORMALDEHYDE
FORMIC ACID
INTERSTELLAR SPACE
KETENES
MOLECULES
MONOCARBOXYLIC ACIDS
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SPACE