Formation of the Methyl Cation by Photochemistry in a Protoplanetary Disk.
Olivier BernéMarie-Aline Martin-DrumelIlane SchroetterJavier R GoicoecheaUgo JacovellaBérenger GansEmmanuel DartoisLaurent H CoudertEdwin A BerginFelipe AlarconJan CamiEvelyne RoueffJohn H BlackOskar AsvanyEmilie HabartEls PeetersAmelie CaninBoris TrahinChristine JoblinStephan SchlemmerSven ThorwirthJose CernicharoMaryvonne GerinAlexander TielensMarion ZanneseAlain AbergelJeronimo Bernard-SalasChristiaan BoersmaEmeric BronRyan ChownSara CuadradoDaniel DickenMeriem ElyajouriAsunción FuenteKarl D GordonLina IssaOlga KannavouBaria KhanOzan LacinbalaDavid LanguignonRomane Le GalAlexandros MaragkoudakisRaphael MeshakaYoko OkadaTakashi OnakaSofia PasquiniMarc W PoundMassimo RobbertoMarkus RölligBethany R SchefterThiébaut SchirmerAmeek SidhuBenoit TaboneDries Van De PutteSílvia VicenteMark G WolfirePublished in: Nature (2023)
Forty years ago it was proposed that gas phase organic chemistry in the interstellar medium can be initiated by the methyl cation CH 3 + (1-3), but hitherto it has not been observed outside the Solar System (4, 5). Alternative routes involving processes on grain surfaces have been invoked (6, 7). Here we report JWST observations of [Formula: see text] in a protoplanetary disk in the Orion star forming region. We find that gas-phase organic chemistry is activated by UV irradiation.