Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Deuterium Fractionation in Interstellar Clouds

  • Published:
Space Science Reviews Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper reviews the chemical processes responsible for fractionating deuterium in interstellar molecules. I show that this process is intrinsically a low temperature phenomenon and discuss how the degree of enhancement of the deuterium content of molecules is related to the physical conditions, particularly abundances, in molecular clouds. If significant amounts of abundant species, such as CO, are frozen out on to interstellar dust grains, the resulting enhancement in H2D+ can result in its abundance being greater than that of H +3 at 10K. Transfer of the deuteron from H2D+ can then lead to the efficient formation of multiply deuterated species, such as NHD2 and ND3. Fractionation can also occur in grain surface reactions and some simple models are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aikawa, Y., and Herbst, E.: 2001, 'Two-Dimensional Distributions and Column Densities of Gaseous Molecules in Protoplanetary Disks. II. Deuterated Species and UV Shielding by Ambient Clouds', Astron. Astrophys. 371, 1107–1117.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Blake, G.A., Qi, C., Hogerheijde, M.R., Gurwell, M.A., and Muhleman, D.O.: 1999, 'Sublimation from Icy Jets as a Probe of the Interstellar Volitile Content of Comets', Nature 398, 213–216.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, P.D., and Millar, T.J.: 1989, 'Grain Surface Formation of Multi-Deuterated Molecules', Month. Not. Roy. Astron. Soc. 240, 25P–29P.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, P.D., Charnley, S.B., and Millar, T.J.: 1988, 'A Model of the Chemistry in Hot Molecular Cores', Month. Not. Roy. Astron. Soc. 231, 409–417.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Caselli, P., Hasegawa, T.I., and Herbst, E.: 1998, 'A Proposed Modification of the Rate Equations for Reactions on Grain Surfaces', Astrophys. J. 495, 309–316.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Caselli, P., Walmsley, C.M., Tafalla, M., Dore, L., and Myers, P. C.: 1999, 'CO Depletion in the Starless Cloud Core L1544', Astrophys. J. 523, L165–L169.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Caselli, P., Stantcheva, T., Shalabiea, O., Shematovich, V.I., and Herbst, E.: 2002, 'Deuterium Fractionation on Interstellar Grains Studied with Modified Rate Equations and a Monte Carlo Approach', Plan. Space Sci., in press.

  • Ceccarelli, C., Castets, A., Loinard, L., Caux, E., and Tielens, A.G.G.M.: 1998, 'Detection of Doubly Deuterated Formaldehyde Towards the Low-luminosity Protostar IRAS 16293-2422', Astron. Astrophys. 338, L43–L46.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Charnley, S.B., Tielens, A.G.G.M., and Rodgers, S.D.: 1997, 'Deuterated Methanol in the Orion Compact Ridge', Astrophys. J. 482, L203–L206.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, S.D., and Hindmarsh, A.C.: 1996, 'CVODE, a Stiff/Nonstiff ODE Solver in C', Computers in Physics 10, 138–143.

    Google Scholar 

  • Delsemme, A.H.: 2000, '1999 Kuiper Prize Lecture: Cometary Origin of the Biosphere', Icarus 146, 313–325.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Gensheimer, P.D., Mauersberger, R., and Wilson, T.L.: 1996, 'Water in Galactic Hot Cores', Astron. Astrophys. 314, 281–294.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Gibb, A.G., and Little, L.T.: 1998, 'Probing the Structure of Molecular Cloud Cores: Observations and Modeling of CI and C18O', Month. Not. Roy. Astron. Soc. 295, 299–311.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Hatchell, J., Millar, T.J., and Rodgers, S.D.: 1998, 'The DCN/HCN Abundance Ratio in Hot Molecular Cores', Astron. Astrophys. 332, 695–702.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Jensen, M.J., Bilodeau, R.C., Safvan, C.P., Seiersen, K., Andersen, L.H., Pedersen, H.B., and Heber, O.: 2000, 'Dissociative Recombination of H3O+, HD2O+, and D3O+', Astrophys. J. 543, 764–774.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Larsson, M., Lepp, S., et al.: 1996, 'Dissociative Recombination of H2D+ and the Cosmic Abundance of Deuterium', Astron. Astrophys. 309, L1–L3.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Leung, C.M., Herbst, E., and Huebner, W.F.: 1984, 'Synthesis of Complex Molecules in Dense Interstellar Clouds via Gas-phase Chemistry — A Pseudo Time-Dependent Calculation', Astrophys. J. Suppl. 56, 231–256.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Lis, D.C., Roueff, E., Gerin, M., Phillips, T.G., Coudert, L.H., van der Tak, F.F.S., and Schilke, P.:2002, 'Detection of Triply Deuterated Ammonia in the Barnard 1 Cloud', Astrophys. J. 571, L55–L58.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Loinard, L., Castets, A., Ceccarelli, C., Tielens, A.G.G.M., Fauré, A., Caux, E., and Duvert, G.: 2000, 'The Enormous Abundance of D2CO in IRAS 16293-2422', Astron. Astrophys. 359, 1169–1174.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Millar, T.J., and Freeman, A.: 1984, 'Chemical Modelling of Molecular Sources I. TMC-1', Month. Not. Roy. Astron. Soc. 207, 405–423.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Mousis, O., Gautier, D., and Coustenis, A.: 2002, 'The D/H Ratio in Methane in Titan: Origin and History', Icarus 159, 156–165.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, H., and Millar, T.J.: 2000a, 'Modelling of Deuterium Chemistry and its Application to Molecular Clouds', Astron. Astrophys. 361, 388–398.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, H., and Millar, T.J.: 2000b, 'Gas-Phase Formation of Doubly-Deuterated Species', Astron. Astrophys. 364, 780–784.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, H., Herbst, E., and Millar, T.J.: 2002, 'The Importance of New Rate Coefficients for D Fractionation Reactions on Interstellar Chemistry', Month. Not. Roy. Astron. Soc. 336, 283–290.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, H., and Millar, T.J.: 2002, in preparation.

  • Rodgers, S.D., and Charnley, S.C.: 2001, 'Gas-phase Production of NHD2 in L134N', Astrophys. J. 553, 613–617.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Rodgers, S.D., and Charnley, S.C.: 2002, 'A Model of the Chemistry in Cometary Comae: Deuterated Molecules', Month. Not. Roy. Astron. Soc. 330, 660–674.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Roueff, E., Tiné, S., Coudert, L. H., Pineau des Fôrets, G., Falgarone, E., and Gerin, M.: 2000, 'Detection of Doubly Deuterated Ammonia in L134N', Astron. Astrophys. 354, L63–L66.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Stantcheva, T., Caselli, P., and Herbst, E.: 2001, 'Modified Rate Equations Revisited. A Corrected Treatment for Diffusive Reactions on Grain Surfaces', Astron. Astrophys. 375, 673–679.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Stark, R., van der Tak, F.F.S., and van Dishoeck, E.F.: 1999, 'Detection of Interstellar H2D+ Emission', Astrophys. J. 521, L67–L70.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • van der Tak, F.F.S., Schilke, P., Müller, H.S.P., Lis, D.C., Phillips, T.G., Gerin, M., and Roueff, E.: 2002, 'Triply Deuterated Ammonia in NGC 1333', Astron. Astrophys. 388, L53–L56.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Tiné, S., Roueff, E., Falgarone, E., Gerin, M., and Pineau des Fôrets, G.: 2000, 'Deuterium Fractionation in Dense Ammonia Cores', Astron. Astrophys. 356, 1039–1049.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Watson, W.D.: 1974, 'Ion-Molecule Reactions, Molecule Formation, and Hydrogen-Isotope Exchange in Dense Interstellar Clouds', Astrophys. J. 188, 35–42.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, J.P., Bergin, E.A., Caselli, P., Myers, P.C., and Plume, R.: 1998, 'The Ionization Fraction in Dense Cloud Cores', Astrophys. J. 503, 689–699.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physics Department, UMIST, PO Box 88, Manchester, M60 1QD, UK

    T. J. Millar

Authors
  1. T. J. Millar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Millar, T.J. Deuterium Fractionation in Interstellar Clouds. Space Science Reviews 106, 73–86 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024677318645

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024677318645

Search

Navigation