Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Jan 1979
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1979natur.277...40d&link_type=abstract
Nature, vol. 277, Jan. 4, 1979, p. 40, 41. Research supported by the National Research Council of Canada.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
21
Absorption Spectra, Cosmic Dust, Infrared Astronomy, Interstellar Matter, Organic Compounds, Abundance, Aggregates, Astronomical Spectroscopy, Carbonaceous Materials, Interstellar Chemistry, Nitrogen Compounds, Optical Thickness, Polysaccharides
Scientific paper
This letter shows that observations of the spectrum of interstellar dust in the region of the IR absorption band due to excitation of the C-H stretching vibration between 3.3 and 3.4 microns can be used in a determination of the abundance of organic solids in interstellar dust. Predicted optical depth at 3.3-3.4 microns is plotted against visual extinction in magnitudes for a variety of organic compounds representative of several chemical classes. Some strong and weak absorbers are identified, the current detection limit for spectral features in the region from 2.9 to 3.4 microns is indicated, and abundance limits are estimated for different classes of organic compounds on dust in the interstellar medium. It is concluded that there is no spectroscopic evidence to support the contention that much of the interstellar dust consists of organic materials and that organic grains constitute at most a minor component of interstellar dust and probably have no observable effect on visual extinction.
Duley Walter W.
Williams David. A.
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