Discovery of HC3O+ in space: The chemistry of O-bearing species in TMC-1

Abstract

Using the Yebes 40m and IRAM 30m radio telescopes, we detected a series of harmonically related lines with a rotational constant B0=4460.590 +/- 0.001 MHz and a distortion constant D0=0.511 +/- 0.005 kHz towards the cold dense core TMC-1. High-level-of-theory ab initio calculations indicate that the best possible candidate is protonated tricarbon monoxide, HC3O+. We have succeeded in producing this species in the laboratory and observed its J = 2-1 and 3-2 rotational transitions. Hence, we report the discovery of HC3O+ in space based on our observations, theoretical calculations, and laboratory experiments. We derive an abundance ratio N(C3O)/N(HC3O+) = 7. The high abundance of the protonated form of C3O is due to the high proton affinity of the neutral species. The chemistry of O-bearing species is modelled, and predictions are compared to the derived abundances from our data for the most prominent O-bearing species in TMC-1.

Accepted for publication in A&A Letters

References in corpus (9)

• The 2014 KIDA network for interstellar chemistry
• Discovery of Interstellar Propylene (CH_2CHCH_3): Missing Links in Interstellar Gas-Phase Chemistry
• Discovery of interstellar ketenyl (HCCO), a surprisingly abundant radical
• Discovery of HC4NC in TMC-1: A study of the isomers of HC3N, HC5N, and HC7N
• Interstellar nitrile anions: Detection of C3N- and C5N- in TMC-1
• Tentative detection of HC5NH+ in TMC-1
• Detection of Interstellar HC${}_5$O in TMC-1 with the Green Bank Telescope
• Deep K-band observations of TMC-1 with the Green Bank Telescope: Detection of HC7O, non-detection of HC11N, and a search for new organic molecules
• Descendant of the X-ogen carrier and a "mass of 69": Infrared action spectroscopic detection of HC${}_3$O${}^{+}$ and HC${}_3$S${}^{+}$

Cited by in corpus (34)

• 2021 Census of Interstellar, Circumstellar, Extragalactic, Protoplanetary Disk, and Exoplanetary Molecules
• Pure hydrocarbon cycles in TMC-1: Discovery of ethynyl cyclopropenylidene, cyclopentadiene and indene
• Discovery of benzyne, o-C6H4, in TMC-1 with the QUIJOTE line survey
• TMC-1, the starless core sulfur factory: Discovery of NCS, HCCS, H2CCS, H2CCCS, and C4S and detection of C5S
• Discovery of the propargyl radical (CH2CCH) in TMC-1: one of the most abundant radicals ever found and a key species for cyclization to benzene in cold dark clouds
• Space and laboratory discovery of HC3S+
• O-bearing complex organic molecules at the cyanopolyyne peak of TMC-1: detection of C2H3CHO, C2H3OH, HCOOCH3, and CH3OCH3
• Discovery of CH2CHCCH and detection of HCCN, HC4N, CH3CH2CN, and, tentatively, CH3CH2CCH in TMC-1
• Discovery of the elusive thioketenylium, HCCS+, in TMC-1
• Discovery of the acetyl cation, CH3CO+, in space and in the laboratory
• A study of C4H3N isomers in TMC-1: line by line detection of HCCCH2CN
• Discovery of H${}_2$CCCH${}^{+}$ in TMC-1
• Discovery of C5H+ and detection of C3H+ in TMC-1 with the QUIJOTE line survey
• Space and laboratory observation of the deuterated cyanomethyl radical HDCCN
• Discovery of HCCCO and C5O in TMC-1 with the QUIJOTE line survey
• Discovery of a new molecular ion, HC7NH+, in TMC-1
• Machine Learning of Interstellar Chemical Inventories
• A new protonated molecule discovered in TMC-1: HCCNCH+
• Discovery of five cyano derivatives of propene with the QUIJOTE line survey
• CH3-Terminated Carbon Chains in the GOTHAM Survey of TMC-1: Evidence of Interstellar CH3C7N
• Discovery of interstellar NC4NH+: dicyanopolyynes are indeed abundant in space
• Discovery of the cyclic C5H radical in TMC-1
• Discovery of interstellar 3-cyano propargyl radical, CH2CCCN
• Discovery of CH3CHCO in TMC-1 with the QUIJOTE line survey
• Detection of deuterated methylcyanoacetylene, CH${}_2$DC${}_3$N, in TMC-1
• Reexploring Molecular Complexity with ALMA: Insights into chemical differentiation from the molecular composition of hot cores in Sgr B2(N2)
• Rotational spectroscopy of isotopic cyclopropenone, $c$-H${}_2$C${}_3$O, and determination of its equilibrium structure
• New deuterated species in TMC-1: Detection of CH2DC4H with the QUIJOTE line survey
• On Modelling Sputtering of Interstellar Grain Ices
• Chemical variations across the TMC-1 boundary: molecular tracers from translucent phase to dense phase
• Laboratory observation and astronomical search of 1-cyano propargyl radical, HCCCHCN
• Complex Organic Molecules Formation in Cold Cores on Stochastically Heated Grains
• Spectroscopic Detection and Characterization of Cyanooxomethylium, NCCO${}^{+}$
• Spectral survey of the diffuse gas toward BL Lac in the Q band