Investigation of amino acetonitrile (NH2CH2CN) — a precursor of glycine, in the interstellar medium

Abstract

Known values of rotational and centrifugal distortion constants, in conjunction with electric dipole moment, have been used to calculate energies for the ground rotational levels, ground vibrational state, and ground electronic state of amino acetonitrile (NH2CH2CN), which is of interest for studies of life in the universe. Probabilities for radiative transitions between the rotational levels are also calculated. Such transition probabilities are used in conjunction with scaled values for the collisional rate coefficients for large velocity gradient calculations. A line 110–111 at 450.31 MHz is found to show anomalous absorption. Two observed lines 909–808 at 80.947 GHz and 120,12–110,11 at 107.283 GHz, and another nine lines, 918–817, 716–615, 817–716, 919–818, 1019–918, 808–707, 100,10–909, 110,11–100,10, and 707–606, are found to show emission features. There are several other observed lines, which are found weaker than these 11 lines. These 10 additional lines may help in the identification of amino acetonitrile in the interstellar medium.