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interstellar molecule comparison table
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acetaldehyde    interstellar molecule   CH3CHO 
ammonia electric or magnetic fields  neutral particle  0NH3 
carbon monosulfide< 10000 K   diatomic molecule   CS 
carbon monoxide< 10000 Kelectric or magnetic fields  neutral particle A molecule consisting of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom. It is the most abundant interstellar molecule after molecular hydrogen and is especially useful because it radiates at radio wavelengths, so astronomers can use it to map the distribution of molecular hydrogen.0CO 
carbonyl sulfide    interstellar molecule   OCS 
cyanoacetylene    interstellar molecule   HC3N 
cyanogen radical< 10000 K   diatomic molecule   CN 
dimethyl ether    interstellar molecule   (CH3)2O 
ethyl alcohol    interstellar molecule   C2H5OH 
ethynyl    interstellar molecule     
formaldehyde   1969interstellar molecule An organic molecule, the first polyatomic molecule to be discovered in interstellar space. In 1973 It was discovered in two external galaxies. H2CO 
formamide   1971interstellar molecule An interstellar molecule discovered in space at a wavelength of 6.5 cm. HCONH2 
formic acid   1970interstellar molecule The first organic acid to be detected in interstellar space at 18.3 cm. Formic acid is the "sting" of an insect. H2CO2 
hydrogen cyanide    interstellar molecule   HCN 
hydrogen isocyanide    interstellar molecule   HNC 
hydrogen sulfide    interstellar molecule   H2S 
hydroxyl radical< 10000 K   diatomic molecule An interstellar molecule first detected in 1963 at a wavelength of 18 cm. The four transitions that occur near 18 cm are caused by the splitting of the ground level. Galactic OH sources have been divided into three classes according to whether the OH emission is strongest in the main lines, particularly at 1665 MHz (Class 1), whether the emission and absorption are highly anomalous only in the satellite lines (Class 2) (Class 2a, 1720-line emitters; Class 2b, 1612-line emitters), or whether there is only absorption in all four lines (Class 3). OH 
ionized methylidyne    charged particle  1CH+electric or magnetic fields
isocyanic acid    interstellar molecule   HNCO 
methanimine    interstellar molecule   H2CNH 
methanol electric or magnetic fields 1970neutral particlemethyl alcoholMore rotational lines have been observed astronomically for it than for any other molecule.0CH3OH 
methyl acetylene    interstellar molecule   CH3C2H 
methyl cyanide    interstellar molecule   CH3CN 
methyl formate    interstellar molecule   HCOOCH3 
methylamine    interstellar molecule A molecule discovered in interstellar apace in 1974, in Sgr B2, at a frequency of 87.77 GHz. Methylamine can react with formic acid to produce glycine, the simplest amino acid. CH3NH2 
methylidyne    interstellar molecule   CH 
molecular hydrogen< 10000 Kelectric or magnetic fieldsneutral particle diatomic molecule A molecule of hydrogen, discovered in interstellar space in 1970. H2 is a very hard molecule to detect. None of its transitions lie in the visible part of the spectrum. Second, being a symmetric homonuclear molecule, it does not have an electric-dipole rotation-vibration spectrum, and detection must be based on the weak quadrupole spectrum. Third, ultraviolet radiation is a very efficient dissociator of H2, so any H2 that survived would presumably be located inside very dense interstellar clouds. So far observations have borne out this supposition. Measurements of the region within about 1 kpc of the Sun suggest that H2 is about twice as abundant as atomic H.0H2 
molecular oxygen< 10000 Kelectric or magnetic fields  neutral particle  0O2 
silicon monosulfide< 10000 K   diatomic molecule   SiS 
silicon monoxide< 10000 K   diatomic molecule   SiO 
sulfur monoxide< 10000 K   diatomic molecule   SO 
thioformaldehyde    interstellar molecule   H2CS 
water vapor electric or magnetic fields  neutral particle  0H2O 

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