Si₂C, because of the two SiC single bonds best described as disilylidynemethylene, but also known as dislicon carbide, is a bent molecule. Together with SiC₂, it was predicted to be very abundant in the circumstellar envelopes of C-rich late type stars. Its fairly small dipole moment as well as its not so favorable structure prevented its rotational spectrum to be recorded in the laboratory and in space until very recently.
J. Cernicharo, M. C. McCarthy, C. A. Gottlieb, M. Agúndez, L. Velilla-Prieto, J. H. Baraban, P. B. Changala, M. Guélin, C. Kahane, M. A. Martin-Drumel, N. A. Patel, N. J. Reilly, J. F. Stanton, G. Quintana-Lacaci, S. Thorwirth, and K. H. Young,
reported on the
Discovery of SiCSi in IRC+10216: A Missing Link between Gas and Dust Carriers of Si–C Bonds
Astrophys. J. 806, Art. No. L3 (2015).
More than hundred lines between 82 and 351 GHz were detected toward CW Leonis with the IRAM 30 m telescope.

Contributor(s): H. S. P. Müller; 06, 2015