===== On the Detection of Isocyanoacetylene, HCCNC, in the ISM ===== K. Kawaguchi, M. Ohishi, S.-I. Ishikawa, and N. Kaifu\\ reported on the\\ **[[https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1992ApJ...386L..51K|Detection of Isocyanoacetylene HCCNC in TMC-1]]**\\ //Astrophys. J.// **386**, L51 (1992).\\ The Nobeyama 45 m telescope was used to detect the //J// = 4 – 3, 5 – 4, and 9 – 8 transitions near 39.7, 49.7, and 89.4 GHz. The [[http://www.astro.uni-koeln.de/site/vorhersagen/molecules/ism/HNC3.html|HNC3]] isomer was found shortly thereafter, whereas the HC3N isomer had been known for a considerable time.\\ \\ P. D. Gensheimer reported on\\ **[[https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1000744924767|Observations of HCCNC and HNCCC in IRC+10216]]**\\ //Astrophys. Space Sci.// **251**, 199 (1997).\\ The IRAM 30 m telescope was used to detect the //J// = 9 – 8, 14 – 13, and 21 – 20 transitions near 89.4, 139.1, and 208.6 GHz. The HC3N to HCCNC ratio is around 150, somewhat higher than in TMC-1.\\ \\ A. Belloche, H. S. P. Müller, K. M. Menten, P. Schilke, and C. Comito\\ investigated\\ **[[https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201321096|Complex Organic Molecules in the Interstellar Medium: IRAM 30 m Line Survey of Sagittarius B2(N) and (M)]]**\\ //Astron. Astrophys.// **559**, Art. No. A47 (2013).\\ The //J// = 10 – 9 and 11 – 10 transitions near 99.4 and 109.3 GHz were detected, the latter possibly blended with part of a methyl formate transitions. Overall, this detections is tentative.\\ \\ C. Vastel, K. Kawaguchi, D. Quénard, M. Ohishi, B. Lefloch, R. Bachiller, and H. S. P. Müller\\ used the IRAM 30 m telescope for\\ **[[https://doi.org/10.1093/mnrasl/slx197|High Spectral Resolution Observations of HNC3 and HCCNC in the L1544 Pre-stellar Core]]**\\ //Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc.// **474**, L76 (2018).\\ The //J// = 8 – 7 to 11 – 10 transitions were detected near 79.5, 89.4, 99.4, and 109.3 GHz. The column density is only slightly smaller than that in TMC-1, similar to HNC3, even though HC3N is less abundant by about one order of magnitide in L1544 compared to TMC-1.\\ The //J// = 9 – 8 transition was observed shortly before in the study of\\ **[[http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201731262|The Observed Chemical Structure of L1544]]**\\ //Astron. Astrophys.// **606**, Art. No. A82 (2017)\\ by S. Spezzano, P. Caselli, L. Bizzocchi, B. M. Giuliano, and V. Lattanzi.\\ \\ J. Cernicharo, N. Marcelino, M. Agúndez, C. Bermúdez, C. Cabezas, B. Tercero, and J. R. Pardo\\ reported on the\\ **[[https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202039274|Discovery of HC4NC in TMC-1: A study of the isomers of HC3N, HC5N, and HC7N]]**\\ //Astron. Astrophys.// **642**, Art. No. L8 (2020).\\ The authors report the detections of the 13C isotopomers of HCCNC as well as that of DCCNC. The observations were obtained with the Yebes 40m radio telescope in the course of a line survey covering 31.0–50.3 GHz.\\ \\ J. Cernicharo, B. Tercero, C. Cabezas, M. Agúndez, E. Roueff, R. Fuentetaja, N. Marcelino, and P. de Vicente\\ carried out more recently a\\ **[[https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202348822|Study of the HCCNC and HNCCC isotopologs in TMC-1]]**\\ //Astron. Astrophys.// **682**, Art. No. L13 (2024).\\ They reported in the framework of improved data of the above survey the detection of HCC15NC with a 14N/15N ratio of roughly 240, slightly lower than ~317 obtained for HC3N. However, this value may be affected by a probable but at that time unrecognized blending of the //J// = 5 − 4 transition of HCC15NC (J. Cernicharo, private communication). They also redetermined the 12C/13C ratios. The values are ~95 with scatter that is insignificant with respect to the uncertainties. These values are somewhat lower than ~65 usually found in the the local ISM, but very similar to values of HNC3 13C isotopomers and to two of the three HC3N 13C isotopomers. An H/D ratio of ~31 was reported, substantially lower than ~55 observed for HNC3 and HC3N.\\ \\ ---- Contributor(s): H. S. P. Müller; 12, 2017; 11, 2020; 04, 2024 ----