List of Observed Interstellar Molecules

Since 1996

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Update

2024/07/05
NEW The latest version is on 05 July 2024. CH3+ was added, which was an omission in an entry. The 318 molecules have been detected so far.

2024/06/30
The latest version is on 30 June 2024. HC5N+ & HC7N+ were newly detected. 3-hydroxypropenal and ethynyl benzene statuses were corrected from "tentative" to "detected." The 317 molecules have been detected so far.

2024/06/11
The latest version is on 11 June 2024. The new tag "Statistics", which shows the elemental composition of interstellar molecules, has been made in the Excel file of the list. Ethylene glycol, CH3D, and l-C3H+ statuses were corrected from "tentative" to "detected." The existence of CH3CH2CCH, which had been reported as tentative, was confirmed. The 313 molecules have been detected so far.

2024/05/31
The latest version is on 31 May 2024. Calcium Dicarbide CaC2 was newly detected. HC5NH+ was moved to the status of "detected" due to the report of HC7NH+. The 309 molecules have been detected so far.

2024/05/27
The latest version is on 27 May 2024. N-cyanomethanimine H2CNCN was newly detected. The 307 molecules have been detected so far.

2024/05/08
The latest version is on 08 May 2024. Cyanothioketene NCCHCS was newly detected. The 306 molecules have been detected so far.

2024/04/29
The latest version is on 29 April 2024. HNSO was newly detected. The 305 molecules have been detected so far.

2024/04/24
The latest version is on 24 April 2024. O-protonated carbonyl sulfide HOCS+ was newly detected. The 304 molecules have been detected so far.

2024/04/02
The latest version is on 2 April 2024. C2H3+ was newly detected. The 303 molecules have been detected so far.

2024/03/28
The latest version is on 28 March 2024. CH3OCH2CH2OH was newly detected. The statuses of l-HC4H, l-HC6H, and C6H6 were corrected to "detected." The 302 molecules have been detected so far.

2024/03/25
The latest version is on 25 March 2024. Isobutene ((CH3)2C=CH2) was been detected in 2023. Status of Propanal was corrected to be "detected."

2024/03/04
The latest version is on 04 March 2024. The thiofulminic acid (HCNS) was newly detected. The 296 molecules have been detected so far.

Read me

This site is edited by Mitsunori Araki, Max-Planck-Institut fuer extraterrestrische Physik. E-mail:

■ Sortable for numbers of atoms, species of atoms included, functional groups and detected years
■ References of the first detections are linked.
■ Clouds, telescopes, and column densities for the first detections are listed.
■ For details, see a readme sheet in the Excel file.
■ CAUTION: This list includes tentatively detected molecules. Check the status column.