Deep K-band Observations of TMC-1 with the Green Bank Telescope: Detection of HC 7 O, Nondetection of HC 11 N, and a Search for New Organic Molecules

The 100 m Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope K-band (KFPA) receiver was used to perform a high-sensitivity search for rotational emission lines from complex organic molecules in the cold interstellar medium toward TMC-1 (cyanopolyyne peak), focussing on the identification of new carbon-chain-bearing species as well as molecules of possible prebiotic relevance. We report a detection of the carbon-chain oxide species HC 7 O and derive a column density of cm −2 . This species is theorized to form as a result of associative electron detachment reactions between oxygen atoms and C 7 H − , and/or reaction of C 6 H 2 + with CO (followed by dissociative electron recombination). Upper limits are given for the related HC 6 O, C 6 O, and C 7 O molecules. In addition, we obtained the first detections of emission from individual 13 C isotopologues of HC 7 N, and derive abundance ratios HC 7 N/HCCC 13 CCCCN = 110 ± 16 and HC 7 N/HCCCC 13 CCCN = 96 ± 11, indicative of significant 13 C depletion in this species relative to the local interstellar elemental 12 C/ 13 C ratio of 60–70. The observed spectral region covered two transitions of HC 11 N, but emission from this species was not detected, and the corresponding column density upper limit is (at 95% confidence). This is significantly lower than the value of previously claimed by Bell et al. and confirms the recent nondetection of HC 11 N in TMC-1 by Loomis et al. Upper limits were also obtained for the column densities of malononitrile and the nitrogen heterocycles quinoline, isoquinoline, and pyrimidine.