Circumstellar chemistry

Recent theoretical studies of circumstellar chemistry are discussed for both red-giant and protostellar winds. The generalized photochemical model is able to account for the recently discovered silicon-bearing molecules in the prototypical, C-rich, AGB star IRC + 10216. The surprising occurrence of CO in protostellar winds that are largely atomic is interpreted to be the result of the high density and the rapid decrease of the temperature with distance that is expected for such winds.