Abstract
Formaldehyde is widely distributed in the Galaxy. In diffuse clouds, the densities seem to be typically several times 10−8 cm−3. To explain the presence of H2CO in dense clouds, Herbst and Klemperer1 have advocated the sequence of radiative associationfollowed by dissociative recombinationIn reaction (1), the stabilisation is achieved by the emission of a photon produced in a vibrational transition and Herbst and Klemperer1 require a rate coefficient of about 10−17 cm3 s−1.
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References
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DALGARNO, A., OPPENHEIMER, M. & BLACK, J. Formation of Formaldehyde in Interstellar Clouds. Nature Physical Science 245, 100–101 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1038/physci245100a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/physci245100a0
