Context. Gas phase Elemental abundances in molecular CloudS (GEMS) is an IRAM 30-m Large Program aimed at determining the elemental abundances of carbon (C), oxygen (O), nitrogen (N), and sulfur (S) in a selected set of prototypical star-forming filaments. In particular, the elemental abundance of S remains uncertain by several orders of magnitude, and its determination is one of the most challenging goals of this program. Aims. This paper aims to constrain the sulfur elemental abundance in Taurus, Perseus, and Orion A based on the GEMS molecular database. The selected regions are prototypes of low-mass, intermediate-mass, and high-mass star-forming regions, respectively, providing useful templates for the study of interstellar chemistry. Methods. We have carried out an extensive chemical modeling of the fractional abundances of CO, HCO+, HCN, HNC, CS, SO, H2S, OCS, and HCS+ to determine the sulfur depletion toward the 244 positions in the GEMS database. These positions sample visual extinctions from AV ∼ 3 mag to >50 mag, molecular hydrogen densities ranging from a few × 103 cm3 to 3 × 106 cm3, and Tk ∼ 10-35 K. We investigate the possible relationship between sulfur depletion and the grain charge distribution in different environments. Results. Most of the positions in Taurus and Perseus are best fitted assuming early-time chemistry, t = 0.1 Myr, ζH2 ∼ (0.51) × 1016 s1, and [S/H] ∼ 1.5 × 106. On the contrary, most of the positions in Orion are fitted with t = 1 Myr and ζH2 ∼ 1017 s1. Moreover, ∼40% of the positions in Orion are best fitted assuming the undepleted sulfur abundance, [S/H] ∼ 1.5 × 105. We find a tentative trend of sulfur depletion increasing with density. Conclusions. Our results suggest that sulfur depletion depends on the environment. While the abundances of sulfur-bearing species are consistent with undepleted sulfur in Orion, a depletion factor of ∼20 is required to explain those observed in Taurus and Perseus. We propose that differences in the grain charge distribution might explain these variations. Grains become negatively charged at a visual extinction of AV ∼ 3.5 mag in Taurus and Perseus. At this low visual extinction, the S+ abundance is high, X(S+) > 106, and the electrostatic attraction between S+ and negatively charged grains could contribute to enhance sulfur depletion. In Orion, the net charge of grains remains approximately zero until higher visual extinctions (AV ∼ 5.5 mag), where the abundance of S+ is already low because of the higher densities, thus reducing sulfur accretion. The shocks associated with past and ongoing star formation could also contribute to enhance [S/H].

Context. The chemical and physical evolution of starless and pre-stellar cores are of paramount importance to understanding the process of star formation. The Taurus Molecular Cloud cores TMC 1-C and TMC 1-CP share similar initial conditions and provide an excellent opportunity to understand the evolution of the pre-stellar core phase. Aims. We investigated the evolutionary stage of starless cores based on observations towards the prototypical dark cores TMC 1-C and TMC 1-CP. Methods. We mapped the prototypical dark cores TMC 1-C and TMC 1-CP in the CS 3 → 2, C34S 3 → 2, 13CS 2 → 1, DCN 1 → 0, DCN 2 → 1, DNC 1 → 0, DNC 2 → 1, DN13C 1 → 0, DN13C 2 → 1, N2H+ 1 → 0, and N2D+ 1 → 0 transitions. We performed a multi-transitional study of CS and its isotopologs, DCN, and DNC lines to characterize the physical and chemical properties of these cores. We studied their chemistry using the state-of-the-art gas-grain chemical code NAUTILUS and pseudo time-dependent models to determine their evolutionary stage. Results. The central nH volume density, the N2H+ column density, and the abundances of deuterated species are higher in TMC 1-C than in TMC 1-CP, yielding a higher N2H+ deuterium fraction in TMC 1-C, thus indicating a later evolutionary stage for TMC 1-C. The chemical modeling with pseudo time-dependent models and their radiative transfer are in agreement with this statement, allowing us to estimate a collapse timescale of ~1 Myr for TMC 1-C. Models with a younger collapse scenario or a collapse slowed down by a magnetic support are found to more closely reproduce the observations towards TMC 1-CP. Conclusions. Observational diagnostics seem to indicate that TMC 1-C is in a later evolutionary stage than TMC 1-CP, with a chemical age ~1 Myr. TMC 1-C shows signs of being an evolved core at the onset of star formation, while TMC 1-CP appears to be in an earlier evolutionary stage due to a more recent formation or, alternatively, a collapse slowed down by a magnetic support.

Context. Sulphur is one of the most abundant elements in the Universe. Surprisingly, sulphuretted molecules are not as abundant as expected in the interstellar medium and the identity of the main sulphur reservoir is still an open question. Aims. Our goal is to investigate the H2S chemistry in dark clouds, as this stable molecule is a potential sulphur reservoir. Methods. Using millimeter observations of CS, SO, H2S, and their isotopologues, we determine the physical conditions and H2S abundances along the cores TMC 1-C, TMC 1-CP, and Barnard 1b. The gas-grain model NAUTILUS is used to model the sulphur chemistry and explore the impact of photo-desorption and chemical desorption on the H2S abundance. Results. Our modeling shows that chemical desorption is the main source of gas-phase H2S in dark cores. The measured H2S abundance can only be fitted if we assume that the chemical desorption rate decreases by more than a factor of 10 when nH > 2 × 104. This change in the desorption rate is consistent with the formation of thick H2O and CO ice mantles on grain surfaces. The observed SO and H2S abundances are in good agreement with our predictions adopting an undepleted value of the sulphur abundance. However, the CS abundance is overestimated by a factor of 5-10. Along the three cores, atomic S is predicted to be the main sulphur reservoir. Conclusions. The gaseous H2S abundance is well reproduced, assuming undepleted sulphur abundance and chemical desorption as the main source of H2S. The behavior of the observed H2S abundance suggests a changing desorption efficiency, which would probe the snowline in these cold cores. Our model, however, highly overestimates the observed gas-phase CS abundance. Given the uncertainty in the sulphur chemistry, we can only conclude that our data are consistent with a cosmic elemental S abundance with an uncertainty of a factor of 10.

Nitrogen oxides are thought to play a significant role as a nitrogen reservoir and to potentially participate in the formation of more complex species. Until now, only NO, NO, and HNO have been detected in the interstellar medium. We report the first interstellar detection of nitrous acid (HONO). Twelve lines were identified towards component B of the low-mass protostellar binary IRAS 16293-2422 with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, at the position where NO and NO have previously been seen. A local thermodynamic equilibrium model was used to derive the column density (∼9 × 1014 cm in a 0 .″5 beam) and excitation temperature (∼100 K) of this molecule. HNO, NO, NO+, and HNO3 were also searched for in the data, but not detected. We simulated the HONO formation using an updated version of the chemical code Nautilus and compared the results with the observations. The chemical model is able to reproduce satisfactorily the HONO, NO, and NO abundances, but not the NO, HNO, and NHOH abundances. This could be due to some thermal desorption mechanisms being destructive and therefore limiting the amount of HNO and NHOH present in the gas phase. Other options are UV photodestruction of these species in ices or missing reactions potentially relevant at protostellar temperatures.

Molecular hydrogen is the most abundant molecule in the universe. It is the first one to form and survive photo-dissociation in tenuous environments. Its formation involves catalytic reactions on the surface of interstellar grains. The micro-physics of the formation process has been investigated intensively in the last 20 years, in parallel of new astrophysical observational and modeling progresses. In the perspectives of the probable revolution brought by the future satellite JWST, this article has been written to present what we think we know about the H₂ formation in a variety of interstellar environments.

Context. Despite the low elemental deuterium abundance in the Galaxy, enhanced molecular deuterium fractionation has been found in the environments of low-mass star-forming regions and, in particular, the Class 0 protostar IRAS 16293-2422. Aims. The key program Chemical HErschel Surveys of Star forming regions (CHESS) aims at studying the molecular complexity of the interstellar medium. The high sensitivity and spectral resolution of the Herschel/HIFI (Heterodyne Instrument for Far-Infrared) instrument provide a unique opportunity to observe the fundamental 1_1,1-0_0,0 transition of ortho-D₂O at 607 GHz and the higher energy 2_1,2-1 _0,1 transition of para-D₂O at 898 GHz, both of which are inaccessible from the ground. Methods. The ortho-D₂O transition at 607 GHz was previously detected. We present in this paper the first tentative detection for the para-D₂O transition at 898 GHz. The spherical Monte Carlo radiative transfer code RATRAN was used to reproduce the observed line profiles of D₂O with the same method that was used to reproduce the HDO and H₂¹⁸O line profiles in IRAS 16293-2422. Results. As for HDO, the absorption component seen on the D₂O lines can only be reproduced by adding an external absorbing layer, possibly created by the photodesorption of the ices at the edges of the molecular cloud. The D ₂O column density is found to be about 2.5 × 10¹² cm^-2 in this added layer, leading to a D₂O/H₂O ratio of about 0.5%. At a 3σ uncertainty, upper limits of 0.03% and 0.2% are obtained for this ratio in the hot corino and the colder envelope of IRAS 16293-2422, respectively. Conclusions. The deuterium fractionation derived in our study suggests that the ices present in IRAS 16293-2422 formed on warm dust grains (~15-20 K) in dense (~10⁴-5 × 10⁴ cm ^-3) translucent clouds. These results allow us to address the earliest phases of star formation and the conditions in which ices form.

We present the first results of a systematic (sub)millimeter unbiased spectral line survey performed with the IRAM-30m and JCMT radiotele-scopes towards the low-mass protostar IRAS 16293-2422 (IRAS16293). When completed this survey will cover most of the frequency band attainable with the 30m (80-280 GHz) and with the JCMT in the 350 GHz band (335-365 GHz), i.e. 201 GHz.

While warm dense gas is prevalent around low-mass protostars, the presence of complex saturated molecules - the chemical inventory characteristic of hot cores - has remained elusive in such environments. Here we report the results of an IRAM 30 m study of the molecular composition associated with the low-mass protostar IRAS 16293-2422. Our observations highlight an extremely rich organic inventory in this source with abundant amounts of complex O- and N-bearing molecules such as formic acid, HCOOH, acetaldehyde, CH₃CHO, methyl formate, CH₃OCHO, dimethyl ether, CH₃OCH₃, acetic acid, CH₃COOH, methyl cyanide, CH₃CN, ethyl cyanide, C₂H₅CN, and propyne, CH₃CCH. We compare the composition of the hot core around this low-mass young stellar object with those around massive protostars and address the chemical processes involved in molecular complexity in regions of star formation.