This molecule, never before seen in space, is believed to be a cornerstone of interstellar organic chemistry.
A team of international scientists has used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to detect a new carbon compound in space for the first time. Known as methyl cation (pronounced cat-eye-on) (CH3+), the molecule is important because it aids the formation of more complex carbon-based molecules. Methyl cation was detected in a young star system, with a protoplanetary disk, known as d203-506, which is located about 1,350 light-years away in the Orion Nebula.
Carbon compounds form the foundations of all known life, and as such are particularly interesting to scientists working to understand both how life developed on Earth, and how it could potentially develop elsewhere in our universe. The study of interstellar organic (carbon-containing) chemistry, which Webb is opening in new ways, is an area of keen fascination to many astronomers.
![3 panels, left, nebula with two stars and multi-hued clouds divided diagonally. Top-right of same area, but upper left region is red, yellow and green, the lower right region is dark blue. Lower right, image of a yellow and orange blob.](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/imagea.jpeg?w=985)
The unique capabilities of Webb made it an ideal observatory to search for this crucial molecule. Webb’s exquisite spatial and spectral resolution, as well as its sensitivity, all contributed to the team’s success. In particular, Webb’s detection of a series of key emission lines from CH3+ cemented the discovery.
“This detection not only validates the incredible sensitivity of Webb but also confirms the postulated central importance of CH3+ in interstellar chemistry,” said Marie-Aline Martin-Drumel of the University of Paris-Saclay in France, a member of the science team.While the star in d203-506 is a small red dwarf, the system is bombarded by strong ultraviolet (UV) light from nearby hot, young, massive stars. Scientists believe that most planet-forming disks go through a period of such intense UV radiation, since stars tend to form in groups that often include massive, UV-producing stars.
![Billowy clouds divided from lower left to upper right. Left, the clouds are various shades of blue with orange wisps throughout. Right, clouds vary from bright orange-red to brown from left to right. Two bright stars with eight diffraction spikes.](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/imageb_1.png?w=985)
Typically, UV radiation is expected to destroy complex organic molecules, in which case the discovery of CH3+ might seem to be a surprise. However, the team predicts that UV radiation might actually provide the necessary source of energy for CH3+ to form in the first place. Once formed, it then promotes additional chemical reactions to build more complex carbon molecules.
![A hazy nebula of colorful material. Top left is green, red and yellow with two small stars and a darker gap region. A wall of cloudy material crosses diagonally towards the bottom right with dark blue filaments and more dark gaps in the bottom corner.](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/imagec_0.png?w=985)
Broadly, the team notes that the molecules they see in d203-506 are quite different from typical protoplanetary disks. In particular, they could not detect any signs of water.
“This clearly shows that ultraviolet radiation can completely change the chemistry of a protoplanetary disk. It might actually play a critical role in the early chemical stages of the origins of life,” elaborated Olivier Berné of the French National Centre for Scientific Research in Toulouse, lead author of the study.
These findings, which are from the PDRs4ALL Early Release Science program, have been published in the journal Nature.
The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb will solve mysteries in our solar system, look beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probe the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency.
Media Contacts:
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Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md.
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Bethany Downer
ESA/Webb Chief Science Communications Officer
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