Discovery of the interstellar chiral molecule propylene oxide (CH₃CHCH₂O)

Brett A McGuire; P Brandon Carroll; Ryan A Loomis; Ian A Finneran; Philip R Jewell; Anthony J Remijan; Geoffrey A Blake

doi:10.1126/science.aae0328

Discovery of the interstellar chiral molecule propylene oxide (CH₃CHCH₂O)

Science. 2016 Jun 17;352(6292):1449-52. doi: 10.1126/science.aae0328. Epub 2016 Jun 14.

Authors

Brett A McGuire¹, P Brandon Carroll², Ryan A Loomis³, Ian A Finneran⁴, Philip R Jewell⁵, Anthony J Remijan⁵, Geoffrey A Blake⁶

Affiliations

¹ National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA. Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA 91125, USA. [email protected] [email protected].
² Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA 91125, USA. [email protected] [email protected].
³ Department of Astronomy, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
⁴ Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
⁵ National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA.
⁶ Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA 91125, USA. Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.

PMID: 27303055
DOI: 10.1126/science.aae0328

Abstract

Life on Earth relies on chiral molecules-that is, species not superimposable on their mirror images. This manifests itself in the selection of a single molecular handedness, or homochirality, across the biosphere. We present the astronomical detection of a chiral molecule, propylene oxide (CH3CHCH2O), in absorption toward the Galactic center. Propylene oxide is detected in the gas phase in a cold, extended molecular shell around the embedded, massive protostellar clusters in the Sagittarius B2 star-forming region. This material is representative of the earliest stage of solar system evolution in which a chiral molecule has been found.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.