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Related Experiment Videos

A search for interstellar oxiranecarbonitrile (C3H3NO).

J E Dickens1, W M Irvine, M Ohishi

  • 1Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory, University of Massachusetts, Amherst 01003, USA.

Origins of Life and Evolution of the Biosphere : the Journal of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life
|April 1, 1996
PubMed
Summary

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Pentopyranosyl oligonucleotide systems. Part 11: Systems with shortened backbones: (D)-beta-ribopyranosyl-(4'-->3')- and (L)-alpha-lyxopyranosyl-(4'-->3')-oligonucleotides.

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Researchers searched interstellar clouds for oxiranecarbonitrile (C3H3NO), a potential prebiotic molecule precursor. Its abundance was found to be very low, significantly less than other complex molecules in hot cores.

Area of Science:

  • Astrochemistry
  • Interstellar Medium
  • Astrobiology

Background:

  • Oxiranecarbonitrile (C3H3NO) is a cyclic molecule proposed as a precursor to prebiotic molecules.
  • Interstellar molecular clouds are key environments for studying the formation of complex organic molecules.
  • Previous searches for C3H3NO have not yielded definitive detections.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To search for the molecule oxiranecarbonitrile (C3H3NO) in cold, quiescent, and hot core interstellar molecular clouds.
  • To determine upper limits for the column density and fractional abundance of C3H3NO.
  • To investigate the potential role of C3H3NO in prebiotic chemistry within interstellar environments.

Main Methods:

  • Radio astronomical observations targeting specific spectral lines of C3H3NO.
Keywords:
NASA Discipline ExobiologyNon-NASA Center

Related Experiment Videos

  • Analysis of data from cold, quiescent, and hot core molecular clouds.
  • Calculation of upper limits for column density and fractional abundance relative to molecular hydrogen.

    • Main Results:

    • Upper limits for the fractional abundance of C3H3NO were determined to be less than a few times 10(-10).
    • This abundance is 1-2 orders of magnitude lower than that of similar complex molecules like ethyl cyanide (CH3CH2CN) and methyl formate (HCOOCH3) in hot cores.
    • First-time detections of ethyl cyanide (CH3CH2CN) in massive star-forming clouds (G34.3+0.2, W51M) and new rotational transitions for CH3CH2CN, methylcyanoacetylene (CH3CCH), and HCOOCH3 were reported.
    • Unidentified spectral lines were detected in the 89 GHz (8 lines) and 102 GHz (18 lines) regions.

    Conclusions:

    • The low abundance of oxiranecarbonitrile (C3H3NO) suggests it may not be a major precursor for prebiotic molecules in the observed interstellar clouds.
    • The study provides valuable constraints on the formation pathways and abundance of small cyclic molecules in astrochemistry.
    • Further investigation is needed to identify the unassigned spectral lines, which may represent new interstellar species.