List of interstellar and circumstellar molecules


This is a list of molecules that have been detected in the interstellar medium and circumstellar envelopes, grouped by the number of component atoms. The chemical formula is listed for each detected compound, along with any ionized form that has also been observed.

Background

The molecules listed below were detected through astronomical spectroscopy. Their spectral features arise because molecules either absorb or emit a photon of light when they transition between two molecular energy levels. The energy of the photon matches the energy difference between the levels involved. Molecular electronic transitions occur when one of the molecule's electrons moves between molecular orbitals, producing a spectral line in the ultraviolet, optical or near-infrared parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. Alternatively, a vibrational transition transfers quanta of energy to vibrations of molecular bonds, producing signatures in the mid- or far-infrared. Gas-phase molecules also have quantised rotational levels, leading to transitions at microwave or radio wavelengths.
Sometimes a transition can involve more than one of these types of energy level e.g. ro-vibrational spectroscopy changes both the rotational and vibrational energy level. Occasionally all three occur together, as in the Phillips band of C2, in which an electronic transition produces a line in the near-infrared, which is then split into several vibronic bands by a simultaneous change in vibrational level, which in turn are split again into rotational branches.
The spectrum of a particular molecule is governed by the selection rules of quantum chemistry and by its molecular symmetry. Some molecules have simple spectra which are easy to identify, whilst others have extremely complex spectra with flux spread among many different lines, making them far harder to detect. Interactions between the atomic nuclei and the electrons sometimes cause further hyperfine structure of the spectral lines. If the molecule exists in multiple isotopologues, the spectrum is further complicated by isotope shifts.
Detection of a new interstellar or circumstellar molecule requires identifying a suitable astronomical object where it is likely to be present, then observing it with a telescope equipped with a spectrograph working at the required wavelength, spectral resolution and sensitivity. The first molecule detected in the interstellar medium was the methylidyne radical in 1937, through its strong electronic transition at 4300 angstroms. Advances in astronomical instrumentation have led to increasing numbers of new detections. From the 1950s onwards, radio astronomy began to dominate new detections, with sub-mm astronomy also becoming important from the 1990s.
The inventory of detected molecules is highly biased towards certain types which are easier to detect. For example, radio astronomy is most sensitive to small linear molecules with a high molecular dipole. The most common molecule in the Universe, H2, is completely invisible to radio telescopes because it has no dipole; its electronic transitions are too energetic for optical telescopes, so detection of H2 required ultraviolet observations with a sounding rocket. Vibrational lines are often not specific to an individual molecule, allowing only the general class to be identified. For example, the vibrational lines of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were identified in 1984, showing the class of molecules is very common in space, but it took until 2021 to identify any specific PAHs through their rotational lines.
One of the richest sources for detecting interstellar molecules is Sagittarius B2, a giant molecular cloud near the centre of the Milky Way. About half of the molecules listed below were first found in Sgr B2, and many of the others have been subsequently detected there. Many of the largest molecules were first detected in another molecular cloud, TMC-1. A rich source of circumstellar molecules is CW Leonis, a nearby carbon star, where about 50 molecules have been identified. There is no clear boundary between interstellar and circumstellar media, so both are included in the tables below.
The discipline of astrochemistry includes understanding how these molecules form and explaining their abundances. The extremely low density of the interstellar medium is not conducive to the formation of molecules, making conventional gas-phase reactions between neutral species inefficient. Many regions also have very low temperatures, further reducing the reaction rates, or high ultraviolet radiation fields, which destroy molecules through photochemistry. Explaining the observed abundances of interstellar molecules requires calculating the balance between formation and destruction rates using gas-phase ion chemistry, surface chemistry on cosmic dust, radiative transfer including interstellar extinction, and sophisticated reaction networks. The use of molecular lines to determine the physical properties of astronomical objects is known as molecular astrophysics.

Molecules

The following tables list molecules that have been detected in the interstellar medium or circumstellar matter, grouped by the number of component atoms. Neutral molecules and their molecular ions are listed in separate columns; if there is no entry in the molecule column, only the ionized form has been detected. Designations are those used in the scientific literature describing the detection; if none was given that field is left empty. Mass is listed in daltons. Deuterated molecules, which contain at least one deuterium atom, have slightly different masses and are listed in a separate table. The total number of unique species, including distinct ionization states, is indicated in each section header.
Most of the molecules detected so far are organic. The only detected inorganic molecule with five or more atoms is SiH4. Molecules larger than that all have at least one carbon atom, with no N−N or O−O bonds.

Diatomic (45)

MoleculeDesignationMassIons
AlClAluminium monochloride62.5—
AlFAluminium monofluoride46—
AlOAluminium monoxide43—
—Argonium37ArH+
C2Diatomic carbon24—
—Fluoromethylidynium31CF+
CHMethylidyne radical13CH+
CNCyano radical26CN+, CN−
COCarbon monoxide28CO+
CPCarbon monophosphide43—
CSCarbon monosulfide44—
FeOIron oxide82—
—Helium hydride ion5HeH+
H2Molecular hydrogen2—
HClHydrogen chloride36.5HCl+
HFHydrogen fluoride20—
HOHydroxyl radical17OH+
KClPotassium chloride75.5—
NHImidogen radical15—
N2Molecular nitrogen28—
NONitric oxide30NO+
NSNitrogen sulfide46—
NaClSodium chloride58.5—
—Magnesium monohydride cation25.3MgH+
O2Molecular oxygen32—
PNPhosphorus mononitride45—
POPhosphorus monoxide47—
SHSulfur monohydride33SH+
SOSulfur monoxide48SO+
SiCCarborundum40—
SiN–42—
SiOSilicon monoxide44—
NaSSodium sulfide55—
MgSMagnesium sulfide56—
SiSSilicon monosulfide60—
TiOTitanium oxide64—

Triatomic (45)

MoleculeDesignationMassIons
AlNCAluminium isocyanide53—
AlOHAluminium hydroxide44—
C3Tricarbon36—
C2HEthynyl radical25—
CCNCyanomethylidyne38—
C2ODicarbon monoxide40—
C2SThioxoethenylidene56—
C2P—55—
CO2Carbon dioxide44—
CaNCCalcium isocyanide66—
FeCNIron cyanide82—
—Protonated molecular hydrogen3
H2CMethylene radical14—
—Chloronium37.5H2Cl+
H2OWater18H2O+
HO2Hydroperoxyl33—
H2SHydrogen sulfide34—
HCNHydrogen cyanide27—
HNCHydrogen isocyanide27—
HCOFormyl radical29HCO+
HCPPhosphaethyne44—
HCSThioformyl45HCS+
—Diazenylium29
HNONitroxyl31—
—Isoformyl29HOC+
HSCIsothioformyl45—
KCNPotassium cyanide65—
MgCNMagnesium cyanide50—
MgNCMagnesium isocyanide50—
NH2Amino radical16—
N2ONitrous oxide44—
NaCNSodium cyanide49—
NaOHSodium hydroxide40—
OCSCarbonyl sulfide60—
O3Ozone48—
SO2Sulfur dioxide64—
c-SiC2c-Silicon dicarbide52—
SiCSiDisilicon carbide68—
SiCNSilicon carbonitride54—
SiNC54—
CaC2Calcium dicarbide64—
TiO2Titanium dioxide79.9—