Based on molecular beam studies, electronic structure calculations, and astrochemical modeling, researchers report a mechanism for the synthesis of bicyclic silicon tricarbide (c-SiC3) in the circumstellar envelopes of carbon stars, in which electronically excited silicon atoms react with allene and methylacetylene in the inner envelope to form SiC3H2, which is then carried via stellar wind to the outer envelope, where ultraviolet light can convert SiC3H2 into c-SiC3 and H2, providing elusive hints to the mechanism of synthesis of organosilicon in the envelopes of carbon stars.
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Article #18-10370: "Gas phase formation of c-SiC3 molecules in the circumstellar envelope of carbon stars," by Tao Yang et al.
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences