Astronomers Detect Largest Sulfur Molecule In Interstellar Space

Astronomers report detection of the ring-shaped molecule 2,5-cyclohexadiene-1-thione (C6H6S) in molecular cloud G+0.693–0.027, published in Nature Astronomy. They measured laboratory rotational spectra from thiophenol discharge products, then identified the molecule in IRAM 30m and Yebes 40m radio data near the Milky Way center, about 27,000 light-years away. The finding shows complex sulfur chemistry exists in starless clouds, linking interstellar chemistry with cometary materials.