The interstellar depletion mystery, or where have all those atoms gone

The observed depletion of intermediate-weight elements O, C, and N from the interstellar medium is shown to be significantly greater than can be accounted for by accretion on interstellar dust. A number of possible explanations are presented, ranging from the existence in interstellar space of many 'snowballs' intermediate in size between dust grains and comets to the existence of many far more complicated interstellar molecules than have been detected.