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The kinetic chemistry of dense interstellar cloudsA model of the time-dependent chemistry of dense interstellar clouds is formulated to study the dominant chemical processes in carbon and oxygen isotope fractionation, the formation of nitrogen-containing molecules, and the evolution of product molecules as a function of cloud density and temperature. The abundances of the dominant isotopes of the carbon- and oxygen-bearing molecules are calculated. The chemical abundances are found to be quite sensitive to electron concentration since the electron concentration determines the ratio of H3(+) to He(+), and the electron density is strongly influenced by the metals abundance. For typical metal abundances and for H2 cloud density not less than 10,000 molecules/cu cm, nearly all carbon exists as CO at late cloud ages. At high cloud density, many aspects of the chemistry are strongly time dependent. Finally, model calculations agree well with abundances deduced from observations of molecular line emission in cold dense clouds.
Document ID
19820049144
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Graedel, T. E.
(Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc. Murray Hill, NJ, United States)
Langer, W. D.
(Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc., Holmdel; Princeton University Princeton, NJ, United States)
Frerking, M. A.
(California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA; Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc. Holmdel, NJ, United States)
Date Acquired
August 10, 2013
Publication Date
March 1, 1982
Publication Information
Publication: Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
Volume: 48
Subject Category
Astrophysics
Accession Number
82A32679
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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