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 language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 650-656 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |
Volume | 345 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 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