Deuteration in massive star formation process

However, the role of surface chemistry in these studies has not been quantified from an observational point of view. In order to compare how the deuterated fractions of species formed only in the gas and partially or uniquely on grain surfaces evolve with time, we observed rotational transitions of CH_3_OH, ^13^CH_3_OH, CH_2_DOH, CH_3_OD at 3 and 1.3mm, and of NH_2_D at 3mm with the IRAM-30m telescope, and the inversion transitions (1,1) and (2,2) of NH_3_ with the GBT, towards most of the cores already observed by Fontani et al. (2011A&A...529L...7F, 2014MNRAS.440..448F) in N_2_H^+^, N_2_D^+^, HNC, DNC.

NH_2_D is detected in all but two cores, regardless of the evolutionary stage. Dfrac(NH_3_) is on average above 0.1, and does not change significantly from the earliest to the most evolved phases, although the highest average value is found in the protostellar phase (~0.3). Few lines of CH_2_DOH and CH_3_OD are clearly detected, and only towards protostellar cores or externally heated starless cores.