Astrochemistry

A Study Of C4H3N Isomers In TMC-1: Line By Line Detection Of HCCCH2CN

By Keith Cowing
astro-ph.GA
January 24, 2021
Filed under
A Study Of C4H3N Isomers In TMC-1: Line By Line Detection Of HCCCH2CN
Calculated fractional abundances of the three C4H3N isomers as a function of time. Solid and dashed lines correspond to two models in which we use branching ratios for the CN + CH3CCH reaction from Abeysekera et al. (2015) and from Balucani et al. (2000), respectively (see text). The abundances observed in TMC-1 for the three C4H3N isomers (from Table 1 adopting a H2 column density of 1022 cm−2; Cernicharo & Guelin 1987) are shown as horizontal dotted lines.

We present Yebes 40m telescope observations of the three most stable C4H3N isomers towards the cyanopolyyne peak of TMC-1. We have detected 13 transitions from CH3C3N (A and E species), 16 lines from CH2CCHCN, and 27 lines (a-type and b-type) from HCCCH2CN.

We thus provide a robust confirmation of the detection of HCCCH2CN and CH2CCHCN in space. We have constructed rotational diagrams for the three species, and obtained rotational temperatures between 4-8 K and similar column densities for the three isomers, in the range (1.5-3)e12 cm-2. Our chemical model provides abundances of the order of the observed ones, although it overestimates the abundance of CH3CCCN and underestimates that of HCCCH2CN.

The similarity of the observed abundances of the three isomers suggests a common origin, most probably involving reactions of the radical CN with the unsaturated hydrocarbons methyl acetylene and allene. Studies of reaction kinetics at low temperature and further observations of these molecules in different astronomical sources are needed to draw a clear picture of the chemistry of C4H3N isomers in space.

N. Marcelino, B. Tercero, M. Agundez, J. Cernicharo

Comments: Accepted for publication in A&A Letters
Subjects: Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA)
Cite as: arXiv:2101.08516 [astro-ph.GA] (or arXiv:2101.08516v1 [astro-ph.GA] for this version)
Submission history
From: Marcelino Agundez
[v1] Thu, 21 Jan 2021 09:50:12 UTC (346 KB)
https://arxiv.org/abs/2101.08516
Astrobiology, Astrochemistry,

Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA Space Station Payload manager/space biologist, Away Teams, Journalist, Lapsed climber, Synaesthete, Na’Vi-Jedi-Freman-Buddhist-mix, ASL, Devon Island and Everest Base Camp veteran, (he/him) 🖖🏻