Urea, H2NC(O)NH2, in the Interstellar Medium

A. Belloche, R. T. Garrod, H. S. P. Müller, K. M. Menten, I. Medvedev, J. Thomas, and Z. Kisiel
reported on
Re-exploring Molecular Complexity with ALMA (ReMoCA): Interstellar Detection of Urea
Astron. Astrophys. 628, Art. No. A10 (2019).
Seven lines in the ground vibrational state and two lines in the lowest excited vibrational mode of urea were detected as unblended or marginally blended in the 3 mm wavelength region in the course of a new unbiased line survey toward the high-mass star-forming region Sagittarius (Sgr) B2(N) close to the Galactic center. The detections were made toward Sgr B2(N1S), a position about 1“ south of the continuum peak of Sgr B2(N1). The molecule was not detected toward Sgr B2(N2).

I. Jiménez-Serra, J. Martín-Pintado, V. M. Rivilla, L. Rodríguez-Almeida, E. R. Alonso Alonso, S. Zeng, E. J. Cocinero, S. Martín, M. Requena-Torres, R. Martín-Domenech, and L. Testi
reported on
Toward the RNA-World in the Interstellar Medium − Detection of Urea and Search of 2-Aminooxazole and Simple Sugars
Astrobiology 20, 1048−1066 (2020).
The molecule was detected in the course of n unbiased molecular line survey of the quiescent giant molecular cloud G+0.693−0.027, about 1' north-east of Sagittarius B2(N), with the IRAM 30 m dish at 3 and 2 mm.


Contributor(s): H. S. P. Müller; 07, 2019; 11, 2020