Pety et al. (2012) have reported the detection of eight transitions of a closed-shell, linear molecule (B11244) in observations toward the Horsehead PDR which they attribute to l-C3H+, a molecule not previously studied in the laboratory.  Such identifications of molecules without laboratory spectra are rare. The attribution of these signals to the l-C3H+ cation has since been disputed by Huang et al. (2013) and Fortenberry et al. (2013), with the latter suggesting the anion, C3H-, as a more probable carrier based on high-level theoretical work.  Here, we examine observations of the Horsehead PDR, Sgr B2(N), TMC-1, and IRC+10216 in the context of answering the question: 'What if B11244 is actually C3H-?'  We present an analysis of the spectroscopy of C3H-, the probable formation and destruction pathways of the anion in these environments, and the relative abundance of C3H- compared to other known molecular anions.

Unraveling the identity of B11244 (l-C3H+/C3H-): An observational approach

247th National Meeting (2014)

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