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.

  • Article
  • Published:

Tholins: organic chemistry of interstellar grains and gas

A Corrigendum to this article was published on 01 November 1979

Abstract

A complex organic solid produced from cosmically abundant molecules helps to explain many properties of the interstellar grains and gas.

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

Access options

Buy this article

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

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Sagan, C. & Khare, B. N. Science 173, 417 (1971), Astrophys. J. 168, 563 (1971), Science 189, 722 (1975).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Khare, B. N. & Sagan, C. Icarus 20, 311 (1973).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Khare, B. N., Sagan, C., Bandurski, E. & Nagy, B. Science 199, 1199 (1978).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Khare, B. N., Sagan, C., Zumberge, J., Sklarew, D. & Nagy, B. (1978) Science, (submitted).

  5. Sagan, C. in The Atmosphere of Titan, 134, NASA Publication SP-340 (Washington, U.S. Gov't Printing Office 1974), Astrophys. J. Suppl. 32, 737 (1976), Sagan, C. Space Sci. Rev. 11, 73 (1971).

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  6. Miller, S. L. J. Am. chem. Soc. 77, 2351 (1955), Biochem. biophys. Acta 23, 480 (1957).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Wickramasinghe, N. C. & Morgan, D. (eds) Solid State Astrophysics (Reidel, Dordrecht, 1975).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Woolfe, N. J. in Interstellar Dust and Related Topics, 485 (eds Greenberg, J. M. & van de Hulst, H. C.) (Reidel, Dordrecht, 1973).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Hoyle, F. & Wickramasinghe, N. C. Nature 223, 459 (1969).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Sagan, C. Nature 238, 77 (1972), in Highlights of Astronomy, 2, 249, 436 (Reidel, Dordrecht, 1971), in Molecules in the Galactic Environment (eds Gordon, M. & Snyder, L.) 451 (Wiley, New York, 1973).

    Google Scholar 

  11. Khare, B. N. & Sagan, C. in Molecules in the Galactic Environment, 399 (eds Gordon, M. & Snyder, L.) (Wiley, New York 1973).

    Google Scholar 

  12. Knacke, R. F. Nature 269, 132 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Wickramasinghe, N. C. Nature 252, 462 (1974).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Hoyle, F. & Wickramasinghe, N. C. Nature 266, 241 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Wickramasinghe, N. C., Hoyle, F., Brooks, J. & Shaw, G. Nature 269, 674 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Hoyle, F. & Wickramasinghe, N. C. Nature 270, 701 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Hoyle, F., Olavesen, A. H. & Wickramasinghe, N. C. Nature 271 229 (1978).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Brooks, J. et al. (eds) Sporopollenin (London, Academic, 1971).

  19. Knacke, R. F., Cudaback, D. & Gaustad, J. Astrophys.J. 158, 151 (1969).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Merrill, K. M., Russell, R. W. & Soifer, B. Astrophys. J. 207, 763 (1976).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Forrest, W. J. et al. Astrophys. J. 219, 114 (1978).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Soifer, B. T., Russell, R. & Merrill, K. Astrophys. J. 210, 334 (1976).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Gillett, F. C. & Soifer, B. Astrophys. J. 207, 780 (1976).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Soifer, B. T., Russell, R. & Merrill, K. Astrophys. J. 207, L83 (1976).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Gillett, F. C. & Forrest, W. Astrophys. J. 179, 483 (1973).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  26. Dyck, H. M. & Simon, T. Astrophys. J. 211, 421 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Briggs, M. H. Nature 191, 1137 (1961).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Meinschem, W. G., Nagy, B. & Hennessy, J. D. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 108, 339 (1963).

    Google Scholar 

  29. Hoyle, F. Mercury 2 (1978).

  30. Willner, S. P., Peutter, R., Russell, R. & Soifer, B. Workshop on Thermodynamics and Kinetics of Dust in the Space Medium (Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, 1978).

    Google Scholar 

  31. Russell, R. W., Soifer, B. & Willner, S. Astrophys. J. 217, L149 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Kleinman, S. G., Sargent, D., Gillett, F. C., Grasdalen, G. & Joyce, R. Astrophys. J. 215, L79 (1977).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  33. Bandurski, E. L. & Nagy, B. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta. 40, 1397 (1976).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Sakata, A., et al. Nature 266, 241 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Egan, W. G. & Hilgeman, T. Nature 273, 369 (1978).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Douglas, A. E. Nature 269, 130 (1970).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  37. Sagan, C. & Miller, S. L. Astr. J. 65, 499 (1960).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Miller, S. L. & Orgel, L. The Origins of Life on the Earth (Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, 1974).

    Google Scholar 

  39. Hoyle, F. & Wickramasinghe, N. C. New Scient. 76, 402 (1977).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Salpeter, E. E., A. Rev. Astr. Astrophys. 15, 267 (1977).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  41. Hayatsu, R., Matsuoko, S., Scott, R., Studier, M. & Auders, E. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta. 41, 1325 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  42. Gilra, P. P. Nature 229, 237 (1971).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sagan, C., Khare, B. Tholins: organic chemistry of interstellar grains and gas. Nature 277, 102–107 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1038/277102a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/277102a0

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

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