A study of C3HD in cold interstellar clouds
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Updated: Oct 4, 2026

Spatial Separation of Molecular Conformers and Clusters
Published on: January 9, 2014
M B Bell1, L W Avery, H E Matthews
1Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, National Research Council of Canada.
Abstract:
We have detected the 1(10)-1(01) transition of C3HD at 19.418 GHz at twelve positions in cold, dark clouds and resolved the D hyperfine components in two sources (L1498 and TMC-1C) well enough to derive values for the D quadrupole coupling constants. Simultaneous observations of C3H2 in each source yield relative integrated line intensities in the range 0.10-0.18, from which we derive relative [C3HD]/[C3H2] abundances in the range 0.05-0.15. These are among the highest deuteration ratios yet observed. Within the limits of the observational and modeling uncertainties it is possible to explain the derived [C3HD]/[C3H2] ratios by ion-molecule chemistry if [e-] approximately 3 x 10(-7).
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