The HCO(+)/HOC(+) abundance ratio in molecular clouds

Abstract

view Abstract Citations (90) References (37) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS The / abundance ratio in molecular clouds. Woods, R. C. ; Gudeman, C. S. ; Dickman, R. L. ; Goldsmith, P. F. ; Huguenin, G. R. ; Irvine, W. M. ; Hjalmarson, A. ; Nyman, L. -A. ; Olofsson, H. Abstract Using the recently determined rest frequency of its first rotational transition, a sensitive search has been made for the J = 1 yields 0 transition of HOC(+) in 14 interstellar sources. A line having a frequency and shape consistent with optically thin emission due to this species was detected toward Sgr B2; this spectral feature is provisionally identified as being due to HOC(+). Comparison with the 1 yields 0 transition of H(C-18)O(+) in this source yields an isomeric abundance ratio HCO(+)/HOC(+) of about 330, if the detected line is in fact due to HOC(+). Independent of, and consistent with, this conclusion, comparisons with isotopically substituted HCO(+) in the other clouds searched show that HCO(+) is at least two orders of magnitude more abundant than HOC(+). This large ratio places interesting constraints on the fractional abundance of related species. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: July 1983 DOI: 10.1086/161150 Bibcode: 1983ApJ...270..583W Keywords: Abundance; Interstellar Matter; Molecular Clouds; Positive Ions; Brightness Temperature; Interstellar Chemistry; Molecular Ions; Astrophysics full text sources ADS | data products SIMBAD (17)