CH3OH interstellar

The presence in interstellar space of many molecular species has been shown by observation of microwave spectral emission lines. Examples include H20, NH3, H2CO, HCN, CH3OH, HCOOH, HCCCN, CO, HCONH2, C2H5OH, and OH. See P. M. Solomon, Physics Today, March 1973, p. 32. 

Observations of interstellar rotational transitions of CH3OH and H2S at 0.8 GHz and 169 GHz, respectively, indicate the wide frequency range now available to radio astronomy. Extension of earthbound observations to 300 GHz can be expected in the near future. The development of sensitive narrow-band IR detectors... 

On the other hand one finds interstellar molecules such as water, H O, methyl-or ethylalcohol CH3OH, CH3CH2OH respectively which are well known to us from common day life. 

Figure 4. The photochemical evolution of an H20 CHs0H NHs C0 CsHg (100 50 10 10 10) interstellar ice analog as traced by infrared spectra measured at 10 K. The spectra were taken before (a) and after 1 hour (b) and 6 hours (c) of UV irradiation. Note the ready formation of CO2, H2CO, CH4, and XCN (now known to be OCN) at the expense of CH3OH. Figure adaptedfrom reference 14.

Cosmic abundances in the interstellar medium are derived by measuring elemental abundances in stellar photospheres, the atmospheric layer just above the stellar surface. Such measurements indicate the amount of elements available for the formation of molecules and particles. Cosmic dust models indicate that up to 80% of the carbon in the photon-dominated diffuse interstellar medium is incorporated into solid aromatic macromolecules and gaseous polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons (41,30). CO gas and C-based ice species (such as CO, CO2, CH3OH and others) may be responsible for up to -25 % of the carbon in cold dense interstellar regions. 

SIFT studies have shown that CH ions readily undergo termolecular association reactions with many known interstellar molecular species, including CO, H2O, HCN, NH3, CH3OH and CH3CN. These ion-molecule associations must surely proceed via radiative association in dense ISC, and in this way complex molecules can be formed, as is indicated in Figure 7. Thus these SIFT studies have been crucial in indicating the importance of radiative association reactions in ISC. 

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