A search for interstellar pyrimidine

Yi Jehng Kuan*, Chi Hung Yan, Steven B. Charnley, Zbigniew Kisiel, Pascale Ehrenfreund, Hui Chun Huang

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

74 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We have searched three hot molecular cores for submillimetre emission from the nucleic acid building block pyrimidine. We obtain upper limits to the total pyrimidine (beam-averaged) column densities towards Sgr B2(N), Orion KL and W51 el/e2 of 1.7 × 1014, 2.4 × 1014 and 3.4 × 1014 cm-2, respectively. The associated upper limits to the pyrimidine fractional abundances lie in the range (0.3-3) × 10-10. Implications of this result for interstellar organic chemistry, and for the prospects of detecting nitrogen heterocycles in general, are discussed briefly.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)650-656
Number of pages7
JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume345
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2003 Oct 21

Keywords

  • Astrobiology
  • ISM: individual: Orion KL
  • ISM: individual: Sgr B2(N)
  • ISM: individual: W51 el/e2
  • ISM: molecules
  • Line: identification

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Space and Planetary Science

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