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[99.03] Observations of Formic Acid toward Galactic Hot Molecular Cores

S.- Y. Liu, D. M. Mehringer, L. E. Snyder (Department of Astronomy, UIUC)

Formic acid shares similar structural elements with the common interstellar molecule methyl formate (HCOOCH₃) and the elusive biomolecule acetic acid (CH₃COOH). It is the simplest organic acid, but it has only been identified in astronomical sources by fairly weak lines in single-element telescope surveys.

In order to study the successive formation of biomolecules such as acetic acid (CH₃COOH) and glycine (CH₃COONH₂) in the ISM, we carried out a survey of HCOOH toward galactic hot molecular cores with the Berkeley-Illinois-Maryland Association (BIMA) Array. Up to five transitions with rest frequencies near 87 GHz have been detected simultaneously in three sources: Sgr B2(N), Orion, and W51. HCOOH was found to have an excitation temperature of at least 100 K and column densities above 10¹⁵ cm^-2. The formation of HCOOH is probably related to grain-surface chemistry in hot cores. Abundance comparisons with other complex O- and N-bearing molecules such as HCOOCH₃ and ethyl cyanide (C₂H₅CN) will be discussed.

If the author provided an email address or URL for general inquiries, it is a s follows:

syliu@astro.uiuc.edu

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