Abstract
The λ2200 Å interstellar absorption band, generally attributed to graphite grains, could equally well arise from π → π*electronic transitions in conjugated double bonds of organic molecules. These molecules, which should comprise ∼ 10% of the total interstellar dust mass, may be lodged within clumps of100 Å-sized refractory grains.
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Wickramasinghe, N., Hoyle, F. & Nandy, K. Organic Molecules in Interstellar Dust: A Possible Spectral Signature at λ2200 Å?. Astrophysics and Space Science 268, 295–299 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1002431121431
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1002431121431