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      Complex Organic Interstellar Molecules

      1 , 2
      Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics
      Annual Reviews

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          Abstract

          Of the over 150 different molecular species detected in the interstellar and circumstellar media, approximately 50 contain 6 or more atoms. These molecules, labeled complex by astronomers if not by chemists, all contain the element carbon and so can be called organic. In the interstellar medium, complex molecules are detected in the denser sources only. Although, with one exception, complex molecules have only been detected in the gas phase, there is strong evidence that they can be formed in ice mantles on interstellar grains. The nature of the gaseous complex species depends dramatically on the source where they are found: in cold, dense regions they tend to be unsaturated (hydrogen-poor) and exotic, whereas in young stellar objects, they tend to be quite saturated (hydrogen-rich) and terrestrial in nature. Based on both their spectra and chemistry, complex molecules are excellent probes of the physical conditions and history of the sources where they reside. Because they are detected in young stellar objects, complex molecules are expected to be common ingredients for new planetary systems. In this review, we discuss both the observation and chemistry of complex molecules in assorted interstellar regions in the Milky Way.

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          Interstellar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons - The infrared emission bands, the excitation/emission mechanism, and the astrophysical implications

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            Interstellar Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Molecules

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              The fitting and prediction of vibration-rotation spectra with spin interactions

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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics
                Annu. Rev. Astron. Astrophys.
                Annual Reviews
                0066-4146
                1545-4282
                September 2009
                September 2009
                : 47
                : 1
                : 427-480
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Departments of Physics, Astronomy, and Chemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210; email:
                [2 ]Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands; email: , and Max-Planck Institut für Extraterrrestrische Physik (MPE), 85748 Garching, Germany
                Article
                10.1146/annurev-astro-082708-101654
                e5031813-82d6-48c3-89a0-b0c4fba3356a
                © 2009
                History

                Medicine,Plant science & Botany,Astronomy & Astrophysics,Social & Behavioral Sciences,Genetics,Economics

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