Thu 30 Apr 2009
Ethyl Formate
Ok, so its a bit of a “media catch phrase;” however, according to recent work done by the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, a recent IRAM survey of Sagittarius B2 indicated the presence of Ethyl Formate. Planck Institute astronomer Arnaud Belloche said “It does happen to give raspberries their flavour, but there are many other molecules that are needed to make space raspberries.” Apparently, it has the odor of rum too. The quote is from an article at Utv but MSNBC has a less sensationalized article.
The research leading up to this discovery was part of a radio astronomy search for amino acids, the building blocks of proteins and life.
Details of the research can be found in the next issue of Astronomy & Astrophysics.
