Scientists have found complex carbon compounds in space

According to scientists, it was previously believed that a significant part of the carbon in space is in the form of large

molecules of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Research has found evidence of this, but it was impossible to understand what exactly these compounds were. 

Similar large PAH molecules onEarth are formed only at high temperatures: as by-products of burning fossil fuels. They can be found, for example, in char marks on grilled food.

During the search for PAHs, the authors of the newThe work studied the TMC-1 nebula, part of the Taurus Molecular Cloud, using the Green Bank Radio Telescope (GBT) in the USA. In order to conduct research more efficiently, they developed a technology for isolating elusive signals from noise by summing and processing observation results through special filters.

As a result, in a cold interstellar cloud withAt 10 degrees above absolute zero, the authors identified about 12 specific PAH molecules. They described two of them—1- and 2-cyanophthalene—compounds consisting of two fused benzene rings with an attached nitrile group.

We've stumbled upon a completely new set of molecules,different from anything we've seen before, and it completely changes our understanding of how these molecules interact with each other. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are thought to contain up to 25 percent of the carbon in the universe. Now, for the first time, we have a direct window into their chemistry, which will allow us to study in detail how this massive reservoir of carbon evolves. 

Brett McGuire, first author of the paper, assistant professor of chemistry and principal investigator of the GOTHAM project

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