scholarly journals Detection of two interstellar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons via spectral matched filtering

Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 371 (6535) ◽  
pp. 1265-1269
Author(s):  
Brett A. McGuire ◽  
Ryan A. Loomis ◽  
Andrew M. Burkhardt ◽  
Kin Long Kelvin Lee ◽  
Christopher N. Shingledecker ◽  
...  

Unidentified infrared emission bands are ubiquitous in many astronomical sources. These bands are widely, if not unanimously, attributed to collective emissions from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules, yet no single species of this class has been identified in space. Using spectral matched filtering of radio data from the Green Bank Telescope, we detected two nitrile-group–functionalized PAHs, 1- and 2-cyanonaphthalene, in the interstellar medium. Both bicyclic ring molecules were observed in the TMC-1 molecular cloud. In this paper, we discuss potential in situ gas-phase PAH formation pathways from smaller organic precursor molecules.

2017 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter W. Moore ◽  
Jordan P. Hooker ◽  
Athanasios Zavras ◽  
George N. Khairallah ◽  
Elizabeth H. Krenske ◽  
...  

The hydroxyl radical is a well known reactive oxygen species important for interstellar, atmospheric, and combustion chemistry in addition to multiple biochemical processes. Although there are many methods to generate the hydroxyl radical, most of these are inorganic based, with only a few originating from organic precursor molecules. Reported herein is the observation that trimethylammonium benzyl alcohols and their corresponding deuterated isotopologues act as a good source of hydroxyl and deuteroxyl radicals in the gas-phase under collision-induced dissociation (CID) conditions. Attempts to replicate this chemistry in the condensed phase are described.


2018 ◽  
Vol 618 ◽  
pp. A49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Chen ◽  
Cameron Mackie ◽  
Alessandra Candian ◽  
Timothy J. Lee ◽  
Alexander G. G. M. Tielens

Aims. Infrared (IR) spectroscopy is a powerful tool to study molecules in space. A key issue in such analyses is understanding the effect that temperature and anharmonicity have on different vibrational bands, and thus interpreting the IR spectra for molecules under various conditions. Methods. We combined second order vibrational perturbation theory and the Wang-Landau random walk technique to produce accurate IR spectra of highly excited polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. We fully incorporated anharmonic effects, such as resonances, overtones, combination bands, and temperature effects. Results. The results are validated against experimental results for the pyrene molecule (C16H10). In terms of positions, widths, and relative intensities of the vibrational bands, our calculated spectra are in excellent agreement with gas-phase experimental data.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oisin Shiels ◽  
P. D. Kelly ◽  
Cameron C. Bright ◽  
Berwyck L. J. Poad ◽  
Stephen Blanksby ◽  
...  

<div> <div> <div> <p>A key step in gas-phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) formation involves the addition of acetylene (or other alkyne) to σ-type aromatic radicals, with successive additions yielding more complex PAHs. A similar process can happen for N- containing aromatics. In cold diffuse environments, such as the interstellar medium, rates of radical addition may be enhanced when the σ-type radical is charged. This paper investigates the gas-phase ion-molecule reactions of acetylene with nine aromatic distonic σ-type radical cations derived from pyridinium (Pyr), anilinium (Anl) and benzonitrilium (Bzn) ions. Three isomers are studied in each case (radical sites at the ortho, meta and para positions). Using a room temperature ion trap, second-order rate coefficients, product branching ratios and reaction efficiencies are reported. </p> </div> </div> </div>


Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 163
Author(s):  
Iryna Zelenina ◽  
Igor Veremchuk ◽  
Yuri Grin ◽  
Paul Simon

Nano-scaled thermoelectric materials attract significant interest due to their improved physical properties as compared to bulk materials. Well-shaped nanoparticles such as nano-bars and nano-cubes were observed in the known thermoelectric material PbTe. Their extended two-dimensional nano-layer arrangements form directly in situ through electron-beam treatment in the transmission electron microscope. The experiments show the atomistic depletion mechanism of the initial crystal and the recrystallization of PbTe nanoparticles out of the microparticles due to the local atomic-scale transport via the gas phase beyond a threshold current density of the beam.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 2246
Author(s):  
Georgia Charalampous ◽  
Efsevia Fragkou ◽  
Konstantinos A. Kormas ◽  
Alexandre B. De Menezes ◽  
Paraskevi N. Polymenakou ◽  
...  

The diversity and degradation capacity of hydrocarbon-degrading consortia from surface and deep waters of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea were studied in time-series experiments. Microcosms were set up in ONR7a medium at in situ temperatures of 25 °C and 14 °C for the Surface and Deep consortia, respectively, and crude oil as the sole source of carbon. The Deep consortium was additionally investigated at 25 °C to allow the direct comparison of the degradation rates to the Surface consortium. In total, ~50% of the alkanes and ~15% of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were degraded in all treatments by Day 24. Approximately ~95% of the total biodegradation by the Deep consortium took place within 6 days regardless of temperature, whereas comparable levels of degradation were reached on Day 12 by the Surface consortium. Both consortia were dominated by well-known hydrocarbon-degrading taxa. Temperature played a significant role in shaping the Deep consortia communities with Pseudomonas and Pseudoalteromonas dominating at 25 °C and Alcanivorax at 14 °C. Overall, the Deep consortium showed a higher efficiency for hydrocarbon degradation within the first week following contamination, which is critical in the case of oil spills, and thus merits further investigation for its exploitation in bioremediation technologies tailored to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document