The role of H+ and H+3 ions in the degradation of interstellar molecules

Abstract

The results of recent laboratory studies of the reactions of H+ and H+3 with a number of molecular gases are interpreted from the viewpoint of interstellar chemistry. Many of the reactions of these ions result in the ionization and fragmentation of neutral reactant gases. Pseudo-time-dependent calculations of the chemistry in dense molecular clouds indicate that molecular abundances are reduced by the inclusion of such reactions, but generally by less than a factor of 5.