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L.M. Ziurys, C. Savage, J.L. Highberger, A.J. Apponi (Steward Observatory, The University of Arizona), M. Guelin (IRAM France), J. Cernicharo (Instituto de Estructura de la Materia,CSIC, Spain)
A new circumstellar molecule, aluminum isocyanide, has been detected at millimeter wavelengths towards IRC+10216 using the IRAM 30-meter telescope. The J = 11 --> 10, J = 12 -->11, J = 13 --> 12, and J = 18 --> 17 rotational transitions of this species at 131, 143, 155, and 215 GHz were observed in the envelope of this object with line intensities on the order of TA* ~ 5 mK. The line profiles for all transitions were U-shaped, indicating that the emission of this molecule is extended with respect to the 19" beam of the 30-meter telescope at 2mm. Therefore, AlNC appears to exist in the outer envelope of IRC+10216, where MgNC and MgCN are present. The column density of AlNC was found to be Ntot ~ 1012 cm-2, corresponding to a fractional abundance, relative to H2, of f ~ 10-9. Detection of this molecule is further evidence that refractory elements preferentially form cyanide and isocyanide species in interstellar gas.