Detection of Interstellar N$_2$O: A New Molecule Containing an N-O Bond

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Session 96 -- YSOs and Masers
Oral presentation, Wednesday, 11, 1995, 2:00pm - 3:30pm

[96.04] Detection of Interstellar N$_2$O: A New Molecule Containing an N-O Bond

L.M.Ziurys, A.J.Apponi (ASU), J.M.Hollis (NASA), L.E.Snyder (Univ.of Ill.)

A new interstellar molecule, N$_2$O, known as nitrous oxide or "laughing gas", has been detected towards SgrB2(M). The J=3-2, 4-3, 5-4, and 6-5 rotational transitions of this species at 75, 100, 125, and 150 GHz, respectively, were observed using the NRAO 12 m telescope. The column density derived for N$_2$O in this cloud is N$_{tot}$ $\sim$ 10$^{15}$ cm$^{-2}$, which corresponds to a fractional abundance of $\sim$ 10$^{-9}$, relative to H$_2$. This value implies abundance ratios of N$_2$O/NO $\sim$ 0.1 and N$_2$O/HNO $\sim$ 3 in the galactic center. Such ratios are in excellent agreement with predictions of ion-molecule models of interstellar chemistry using early-time calculations. N$_2$O is the third interstellar molecule detected to date that contains an N-O bond. Such bonds cannot be so rare as previously thought.

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