• DOI:10.1088/0004-637X/783/1/36
• Corpus ID: 14120898

AN OBSERVATIONAL INVESTIGATION OF THE IDENTITY OF B11244 (l–C3H+/C3H−)

@article{McGuire2013ANOI,
  title={AN OBSERVATIONAL INVESTIGATION OF THE IDENTITY OF B11244 (l–C3H+/C3H−)},
  author={Brett A. McGuire and P. Brandon Carroll and Pierre Gratier and Viviana V. Guzm'an and J{\'e}r{\^o}me Pety and {\`E}velyne Roueff and Maryvonne Gerin and Geoffrey A. Blake and Anthony J. Remijan},
  journal={The Astrophysical Journal},
  year={2013},
  volume={783}
}

• B. McGuire, P. B. Carroll, +6 authors A. Remijan
• Published 30 November 2013
• Chemistry
• The Astrophysical Journal

Pety et al. have reported the detection of eight transitions of a closed-shell, linear molecule (B11244) in observations toward the Horsehead photodissociation region (PDR), which they attribute to the l–C3H+ cation. Recent high-level ab initio calculations have called this assignment into question; the anionic C3H− molecule has been suggested as a more likely candidate. Here, we examine observations of the Horsehead PDR, Sgr B2(N), TMC-1, and IRC+10216 in the context of both l–C3H+ and C3H−. We find no observational evidence of Ka = 1 lines, which should be present were the carrier indeed C3H−. Additionally, we find a strong anticorrelation between the presence of known molecular anions and B11244 in these regions. Finally, we discuss the formation and destruction chemistry of C3H− in the context of the physical conditions in the regions. Based on these results, we conclude there is little evidence to support the claim that the carrier is C3H−.