Discovery of the acetyl cation, CH₃CO⁺, in space and in the laboratory.

ABSTRACT: Using the Yebes 40m and IRAM 30m radiotelescopes, we detected two series of harmonically related lines in space that can be fitted to a symmetric rotor. The lines have been seen towards the cold dense cores TMC-1, L483, L1527, and L1544. High level of theory ab initio calculations indicate that the best possible candidate is the acetyl cation, CH₃CO⁺, which is the most stable product resulting from the protonation of ketene. We have produced this species in the laboratory and observed its rotational transitions J_u = 10 up to J_u = 27. Hence, we report the discovery of CH₃CO⁺ in space based on our observations, theoretical calculations, and laboratory experiments. The derived rotational and distortion cons

SUBMITTER: Cernicharo J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7610537 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature