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Propyl Cyanide (C3H7CN)

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Encyclopedia of Astrobiology

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Synonyms

C3H7CN

Definition

The molecule propyl cyanide has two isomers, both of which have been detected in interstellar molecular clouds. The straight-chain isomer, n-propyl cyanide, is also called 1-cyanopropane, butyronitrile, or butanenitrile (the IUPAC name); while the branched form, i-propyl cyanide, is also known as 2-cyanopropane, iso-butyronitrile, and 2-methylpropanenitrile (IUPAC name). Moreover, n-propyl cyanide has two conformers, anti- or a-n-propyl cyanide and gauche- or g-n-propyl cyanide, where the former has a planar heavy atom frame and the latter has the CH3-group or the CN-group rotated by 120°.

History

Propyl cyanide is among the largest organic molecules unambiguously detected by radio astronomers in the interstellar medium. The lower energy, anti-conformer of n-propyl cyanide, was detected in the Galactic Center molecular cloud Sgr B2(N) by Bellouche et al. (2009), who suggested that it may be produced by surface reactions on interstellar dustgrains, perhaps...

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References and Further Reading

  • Belloche A, Garrod RT, Müller HSP, Menten KM, Comito C, Schilke P (2009) Increased complexity in interstellar chemistry: detection and chemical modeling of ethyl formate and n-propyl cyanide in Sagittarius B2(N). Astron Astrophys 499:215–232

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  • Belloche A, Garrod RT, Müller HSP, Menten KM (2014) Detection of a branched alkyl molecule in the interstellar medium: iso-propyl cyanide. Science 345:1584–1587

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA

    William M. Irvine

Authors
  1. William M. Irvine
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Correspondence to William M. Irvine .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Labo. d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux (LAB), Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l'Univers (OASU), Floirac CX, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  2. Astronomy Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA

    William M. Irvine

  3. Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Amils

  4. Geophysical Lab., Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC, USA

    Henderson James Cleaves

  5. Dépt. Sc. de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec, Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Daniele Pinti

  6. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), Inst. Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain

    José Cernicharo Quintanilla

  7. Centre National d'Etudes Spatiale (CNES) DPI/E2U, Paris CX, France

    Michel Viso

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Irvine, W.M. (2021). Propyl Cyanide (C3H7CN). In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_5102-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_5102-2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    CN)
    Published:
    22 January 2021

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_5102-2

  2. Original

    Propyl Cyanide
    Published:
    05 May 2015

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_5102-1

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