Formation Of Thiocarbonic acid (H2CS3) – The Sulfur Counterpart Of Carbonic Acid (H2CO3) – In Interstellar Analog Ices

The first experimental formation of thiocarbonic acid (H₂CS3) is presented in this work from low-temperature interstellar ice analogs composed of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) and carbon disulfide (CS₂) exposed to electron irradiation simulating the impact of galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) on interstellar ices.

The recent attention brought to sulfur-bearing molecules, as well as the recent detection of carbonic acid (H₂CO₃) in the interstellar medium (ISM), invites the study of the interstellar detection of the sulfur counterpart, thiocarbonic acid.

However, the interstellar formation pathways of thiocarbonic acid have remained elusive. In this work, thiocarbonic acid was identified in the gas phase during the temperature programmed desorption (TPD) using isomer-selective single photoionization reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometry (PI-ReToF-MS), suggesting that the hitherto astronomically unobserved thiocarbonic acid represents a promising candidate for future astronomical searches.

The formation of H₂CS₃ isomers was investigated through additional isotopically labeled experiments and the formation mechanisms through quantum chemical studies. These findings unravel a key reaction pathway to thiocarbonic acid and represent a first step toward its possible formation and detection in the ISM, shedding light on the missing sulfur problem.

Lina Coulaud, Jia Wang, Ashanie Herath, Andrew M. Turner, Mason Mcanally, Ryan C. Fortenberry, Ralf I. Kaiser

Comments: Accepted manuscript and supplementary information file. Accepted for publication in PCCP on August, 12th, 2025
Subjects: Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA)
Cite as: arXiv:2509.19065 [astro-ph.GA] (or arXiv:2509.19065v1 [astro-ph.GA] for this version)
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2509.19065
Focus to learn more
Journal reference: Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2025, 27, 19324-19337
Related DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1039/D5CP02478A
Focus to learn more
Submission history
From: Lina Coulaud
[v1] Tue, 23 Sep 2025 14:28:05 UTC (6,566 KB)
https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.19065
Astrobiology,