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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 30 March 2016
Problems relating to the formation of interstellar molecules have assumed an enhanced importance in recent years mainly because of the detection of a variety of molecular species in interstellar space. The interstellar molecules CH, CH+, CN were discovered several decades ago by their characteristic bands in optical stellar spectra, while OH, H2O, H2CO, HCN, HC3N, NH3 and CO were detected during the past few years by their spectral features in the radio waveband. The optical detection of interstellar H2 was reported only several weeks ago.