Silicon¹, which is one of the most common elements in Earth's crust, is also sprinkled abundantly throughout interstellar space. The only way to identify silicon-containing molecules² in the far corners of the cosmos³ -- and to understand the chemistry that created them -- is to observe through telescopes the electromagnetic radiation the molecules emit. Scientists from the University of Tokyo, in Japan, have now determined⁴ the unique electromagnetic emission⁵ spectrums of two new, highly-reactive silicon compounds. The research, which is published in The Journal of Chemical Physics from AIP Publishing, will help astronomers⁶ look for the molecules in the interstellar medium.

 

"Like human fingerprints⁷ and DNA⁸ sequences are the markers of human identity, we can identify molecules from the frequencies of the electromagnetic waves emitted by them," said Yasuki Endo, a researcher in the Department of Basic Science at the University of Tokyo.

 

Using spectroscopic techniques, scientists have already detected silicon-containing molecules in the gaseous⁹ clouds that envelop¹⁰ some stars and in the sparsely¹¹ populated space between stars. In space, silicon is often found in dust grains containing stable compounds called silicates¹². However, highly reactive molecules, such as SiCN, have also been detected in the gas phase in the interstellar medium.

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