Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Is Polyoxymethylene a Cosmopolymer?

Nature volume 235, pages 217–218 (1972)Cite this article

Abstract

AMONG interstellar polyatomic molecules, formaldehyde is now second only to ammonia in the spectroscopic certainty of its identification. Unlike some of these molecules, for example, ammonia and water, formaldehyde has been detected in many different regions of our Galaxy. This has led to the speculation that its occurrence is a general feature of the spiral arms of the Milky Way1. If this speculation is correct then the chemical reactions of this molecule under interstellar conditions are of considerable relevance to discussions of the chemical evolution of our Galaxy.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Snyder, L. E., and Buhl, D., Sky and Telescope, 267, 345 (1970).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Walker, J. F., Formaldehyde (Reinhold, New York, 1964).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Carrazola, G., and Mammi, M., J. Polymer Sci., A1, 965 (1963).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Busfield, W. K., and Merigold, D., Die Makromolekulare Chemie, 138, 65 (1970).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Dainton, F. S., Evans, D. M., Hoare, F. E., and Melia, T. P., Polymer (Lond.), 3, 263 (1962).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Fletcher, R. A., and Pilcher, G., Trans. Faraday Soc., 66, 794 (1970).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Zuckerman, B., Buhl, D., Palmer, P., and Snyder, L. E., Astrophys. J., 160, 485 (1970).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. McNally, D., in Adv. Astron. Astrophys., 6, 173 (1968).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biophysics, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

    R. S. ROCHE

  2. Department of Chemistry, University of Calgary, Calgary, 44, Alberta, Canada

    R. S. ROCHE

Authors
  1. R. S. ROCHE
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

ROCHE, R. Is Polyoxymethylene a Cosmopolymer?. Nature 235, 217–218 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1038/235217a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/235217a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing