2026-01-23 マックス・プランク研究所
In the heart of our Galaxy, scientists discovered the first sulfur-bearing six-membered ring molecule hiding in an interstellar cloud. © MPE/ NASA/JPL-Caltech
＜関連情報＞
- https://www.mpg.de/26040668/the-origins-of-the-chemistry-of-life-in-space
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-025-02749-7
宇宙における硫黄含有環状炭化水素の検出 A detection of sulfur-bearing cyclic hydrocarbons in space
Mitsunori Araki,Miguel Sanz-Novo,Christian P. Endres,Paola Caselli,Víctor M. Rivilla,Izaskun Jiménez-Serra,Laura Colzi,Shaoshan Zeng,Andrés Megías,Álvaro López-Gallifa,Antonio Martínez-Henares,David San Andrés,Sergio Martín,Miguel A. Requena-Torres,Juan García de la Concepción & Valerio Lattanzi
Nature Astronomy Published:23 January 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-025-02749-7
Abstract
Molecules harbouring sulfur are thought to have played a key role in the biological processes of life on Earth, and thus, they are of much interest when found in space. Here we report on the astronomical detection of a six-membered sulfur-bearing cyclic hydrocarbon in the interstellar medium. Observations of the Galactic Centre molecular cloud G+0.693-0.027 reveal the presence of 2,5-cyclohexadien-1-thione, which is a structural isomer of thiophenol (c-C6H6S). For the astronomical identification, we first performed precise laboratory measurements of the thiophenol discharge products system. These measurements, conducted in the radio band using a chirped-pulse Fourier transform microwave spectrometer, enabled us to characterize this highly polar molecular species and provided unambiguous fingerprints needed to identify this organosulfur compound in space, which now ranks as the largest interstellar sulfur-bearing molecule. These results herald the discovery of a family of prebiotically relevant sulfur-bearing species, which potentially act as a bridge between the chemical inventory of the interstellar medium and the composition of the minor bodies of the Solar System.
