Production of Interstellar HCN and HNC (original) (raw)
ADS
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Abstract
The pathways of radiative deexcitation of the species H + C + N, which then becomes either HCN or HNC, are computed. From vibrational levels of above about 2 eV internal energy, the cascade of decays leads to formation of HCN and HNC, with a ratio of 20 in favor of the former, almost independent of the precise initial vibrational state. It is only for starting levels around or slightly below the saddle point separating the HCN and HNC potential wells that the outcome depends strongly on the initial vibrational state. The consequence for interstellar molecular clouds is that the ratio (HCN)/(HNC) is predicted to be 20.
Publication:
The Astrophysical Journal
Pub Date:
December 1989
DOI:
Bibcode:
Keywords:
- Association Reactions;
- Hydrocyanic Acid;
- Interstellar Chemistry;
- Interstellar Matter;
- Radiative Recombination;
- Abundance;
- Electron Recombination;
- Molecular Clouds;
- Molecular Energy Levels;
- Astrophysics;
- INTERSTELLAR: MOLECULES;
- MOLECULAR PROCESSES