The formyl radical, HCO, has been detected in interstellar molecular clouds through the strongest hyperfine component of one of its microwave transitions. The detection of this molecule apparently is consistent with extensions of ion-molecule formation theory which deal with moderately dense interstellar clouds where both ionized carbon and carbon monoxide exist. Estimates for the ratios of column densities of HCO to HCO(+) are given for four molecular clouds.
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Snyder et al. (1976) studied this question.