Artist’s impression of cyanocoronene, the largest polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon identified to date. This molecule, consisting of seven interconnected benzene rings with a cyano group (C₂₄H₁₁CN), was detected in the cold, dark molecular cloud TMC-1, a region known for its rich chemistry and star-forming activity .
Credit: NSF/AUI/NSF NRAO/P. Vosteen VIA nrao
Astronomers have just found something incredible floating 440 light-years away: cyanocoronene (C₂₄H₁₁CN), the largest aromatic molecule ever detected in space. This massive molecule, made of seven interconnected carbon rings, was discovered in the cold, dark cloud TMC-1, a region already known for weird and complex chemistry .
The discovery came from observations with the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) as part of the GOTHAM project. Scientists detected multiple spectral lines from the molecule, confirming it exists with high certainty . Cyanocoronene forms when smaller molecules like coronene react with CN radicals under the freezing conditions of deep space. In other words, complex chemistry, and maybe the ingredients for life, can happen long before stars or planets even exist .
This molecule isn’t just big; it’s stable and could act as a reservoir of carbon, potentially spreading the building blocks for life across the galaxy. Essentially, space itself might be a giant chemical lab, quietly preparing the materials for future life .
Reference:
Wenzel, G., Gong, S., Xue, C, , McCarthy, M. C., & Zaleski, D. P. (2025) . Detection of cyanocoronene (C₂₄H₁₁CN) in the TMC-1 molecular cloud . Astrophysical Journal Letters. https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.05232
