# The C(3P) + NH3 reaction in interstellar chemistry: II. Low temperature rate constants and modeling of NH, NH2 and NH3 abundances in dense interstellar clouds Source: [The C(3P) + NH3 reaction in interstellar chemistry: II. Low temperature rate constants and modeling of NH, NH2 and NH3 abundances in dense interstellar clouds]() Collection index: [llms.txt]() Data updated: 2025-10-24T19:56:35.681Z Authors: Kevin M. Hickson, Jean-Christophe Loison, J\\'er\\'emy Bourgalais, Michael Capron, Sebastien D. Le Picard, Fabien Goulay, Valentine Wakelam Published: 2016-03-24T09:21:21.000Z ## Abstract A continuous supersonic flow reactor has been used to measure rate constants for the C + NH3 reaction over the temperature range 50 to 296 K. C atoms were created by the pulsed laser photolysis of CBr4. The kinetics of the title reaction were followed directly by vacuum ultra-violet laser induced fluorescence (VUV LIF) of C loss and through H formation. The experiments show unambiguously that the reaction is rapid at 296 K, becoming faster at lower temperatures, reaching a value of 1.8 10-10 cm3 molecule-1 s-1 at 50 K. As this reaction is not currently included in astrochemical networks, its influence on interstellar nitrogen hydride abundances is tested through a dense cloud model including gas-grain interactions. In particular, the effect of the ortho-to-para ratio of H2 which plays a crucial role in interstellar NH3 synthesis is examined. ## Recorded benchmark results A research result applies to its stated dataset, split, metric and evaluation configuration. Compare like-for-like settings, preserve the metric's unit and direction, and distinguish paper-reported results from independent reproduction. The best result recorded here is not a claim of exhaustive, current global coverage. ## Original sources and implementation [Original paper]() [PDF]()