On photolytic synthesis of sulphur-bearing organic molecules by reacting S or S 2 with the hydrogen end-capped polyyne C 10 H 2

The photolysis of dilute solutions of octacyclosulphur or hexacyclosulphur in n-hexane with 253.6 nm UV radiation produces S and possibly S 2 . The ‘ring-opening’ yields of these sulphur molecules range from 0.2 to 0.7. When the hydrogen end-capped polyyne C 10 H 2 is irradiated in n-hexane, it transforms into unidentified products with a quantum yield of 3×10 −5 . When octacyclosulphur is added to the solution, the yield rises to 7×10 −3 . The putative sulphur-bearing product(s) could not be identified. It is suggested that sulphur-bearing molecules might be formed in astronomical settings by reactions of carbon molecules having triple or double C—C bonds with photolytically produced S and/or S 2 .