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  • Discovery of Thionylimide, ...
    Sanz-Novo, Miguel; Rivilla, Víctor M.; Müller, Holger S. P.; Jiménez-Serra, Izaskun; Martín-Pintado, Jesús; Colzi, Laura; Zeng, Shaoshan; Megías, Andrés; López-Gallifa, Álvaro; Martínez-Henares, Antonio; Tercero, Belén; de Vicente, Pablo; San Andrés, David; Martín, Sergio; Requena-Torres, Miguel A.

    Astrophysical journal. Letters, 04/2024, Volume: 965, Issue: 2
    Journal Article

    Abstract We present the first detection in space of thionylimide (HNSO) toward the Galactic center molecular cloud G + 0.693-0.027, thanks to the superb sensitivity of an ultradeep molecular line survey carried out with the Yebes 40 m and IRAM 30 m telescopes. This molecule is the first species detected in the interstellar medium containing, simultaneously, N, S, and O. We have identified numerous K a = 0, 1, and 2 transitions belonging to HNSO covering from J up = 2 to J up =10, including several completely unblended features. We derive a molecular column density of N = (8 ± 1)×10 13 cm −2 , yielding a fractional abundance relative to H 2 of ∼6 × 10 −10 , which is about ∼37 and ∼4.8 times less abundant than SO and SO 2 , respectively. Although there are still many unknowns in the interstellar chemistry of NSO-bearing molecules, we propose that HNSO is likely formed through the reaction of the NSO radical and atomic H on the surface of icy grains, with alternative routes also deserving exploration. Finally, HNSO appears as a promising link between N, S, and O interstellar chemistry, and its discovery paves the route to the detection of a new family of molecules in space.