PAH molecules and carbon dust in interstellar clouds
W. W. Duley, D. A. Williams;
MNRAS, 1986, 219, 859
ABSTRACT:An analysis of possible chemical reactions between polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules
and atoms and ions in the interstellar gas shows that a variety of
destruction channels exist for these molecules.
PAH molecules will have
lifetimes of less than about 100,000 yr under diffuse cloud conditions, and
therefore are unlikely to be a ubiquitous component of interstellar dust
clouds.
The destruction of PAH molecules is enhanced by temperature
fluctuations, although PAH molecules may be observable as transient species in
shocked regions.
The relationship between PAH and carbon dust (HAC) is also
discussed.
KEYWORDS: aromatic compounds, cosmic dust, hydrocarbons, interstellar chemistry, interstellar gas, molecular clouds, polynuclear organic compounds, chemical reactions, computational chemistry, interstellar matter, shock waves
CODE: duley86