Abstract
Interstellar detection of the straight-chain (n-propyl cyanide, n-C\(_{3}\)H\(_{7}\)CN) and branched-chain (i-propyl cyanide, i-C\(_{3}\)H\(_{7}\)CN) molecules toward the star-forming region, Sagittarius B2(N2) (Sgr B2(N2)) has attracted attention to study the formation mechanism and chemical evolution of branched carbon-chain molecules. These molecules are the precursors of biologically relevant prebiotic molecules, i.e., amino acids. In this light, we consider n-butyl cyanide and higher-order branched chain molecule, t-butyl cyanide from the C\(_{5}\)H\(_{9}\)N isomeric group. Quantum chemical calculations, such as rotational constants, dipole moments and other spectroscopic information will assist to study the chemical evolution and examine the possibility of detecting higher-order branched-chain molecules in high-mass star-forming regions.
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Acknowledgements
Satyam Srivastav acknowledges Banaras Hindu University and UGC, New Delhi, India, for providing a fellowship. For offering University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi fellowship, Akant Vats thanks Banaras Hindu University and UGC, New Delhi, India. Amit Pathak thanks financial assistance from the Banaras Hindu University’s IoE grant (R/Dev/D/IoE/Incentive/2021-22/32439) as well as funding from the SERB in New Delhi’s Core Research Grant (CRG/2021/000907) and IUCAA, Pune, for associateship.
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This article is part of the Special Issue on “Star formation studies in the context of NIR instruments on 3.6m DOT”.
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Srivastav, S., Vats, A., Pandey, A. et al. Interstellar branched chain molecules: A theoretical-rotational study. J Astrophys Astron 44, 31 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12036-023-09923-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12036-023-09923-1