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The conformer distribution of normal-propyl cyanide is investigated using broadband chirped pulse rotational spectroscopy in the millimeter-wave regime coupled with buffer gas cooling. Here we explore the relative abundances of the anti and gauche conformers following room-temperature gas-phase injection into a 25 K buffer gas cell and compare to that which is observed following temperature-programmed desorption from an ice surface, similar to the slow warm-up experienced by ice grains as they approach warmer regions within the interstellar medium. The conformer distributions observed in the gas phase from room-temperature injection are then used to determine their relative energies, an important parameter needed to interpret the isomer and conformer abundances derived from astronomical observations. We find the gauche conformer to be the most stable species by ∼97 ± 21 cm−1. We further examine the relative conformer abundances following ice desorption, which are distinct from those following the gas-phase introduction. The ratios measured off the ice correspond to a conformer temperature of ∼56 K, which is much lower than their sublimation temperature of 170 K.
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Formation of sodium-bearing species in the interstellar medium
ABSTRACT Sodium-bearing species such as NaCl in the gas phase have been observed in an assortment of carbon-rich and oxygen-rich stellar atmospheres and interstellar environments such as the high-mass protostellar disc surrounding Orion Src1 and the proto-binary system, IRAS 16547−4247. Their detection in relatively low-temperature regions is yet to be made. In this paper, we consider the synthesis of sodium-bearing species with an emphasis on NaCl, via both gas-phase and grain-surface chemistry under assorted interstellar conditions. We also consider the chemistry leading to the gas-phase species NaH and NaOH. Two classes of numerical simulations were run: models under isothermal conditions at temperatures from 10 to 800 K with varied intervals, and three-phase warm-up models that consist of an initial isothermal collapse at 10 K, followed by a warm-up phase in which temperature rises linearly to 200 K, and finally a hot core phase. We have included reactive desorption for both models to produce gaseous NaCl, NaH, and NaOH. We found that for isothermal models over a broad parameter space, the fractional abundances of gaseous NaCl and NaOH can reach above 2 × 10−10 and approx. 1 × 10−10, respectively, are in the detection range of observational facilities such as Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array and JWST. For warm-up models, we found that if we consider molecules to be co-desorbed with water, gaseous NaCl can have a sufficiently large abundance for detection. We then conclude that both gaseous NaCl and NaOH can be detected; however, more experiments and quantum mechanical calculations are needed to constrain the relevant reaction rates better.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1906489
- PAR ID:
- 10473626
- Publisher / Repository:
- Oxford University Press
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Volume:
- 527
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 0035-8711
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: p. 1722-1732
- Size(s):
- p. 1722-1732
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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