Transitory O-rich chemistry in heavily obscured C-rich post-AGB stars

Spitzer/IRS spectra of eleven heavily obscured C-rich sources rapidly evolving from asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars to Planetary Nebulae are presented. IRAM 30m observations for three of these post-AGBs are also reported. A few (3) of these sources are known to exhibit strongly variable maser emission of O-bearing molecules such as OH and H₂ O, suggesting a transitory O-rich chemistry because of the quickly changing physical and chemical conditions in this short evolutionary phase. Interestingly, the Spitzer/IRS spectra show a rich circumstellar carbon chemistry, as revealed by the detection of small hydrocarbon molecules such as C₂H₂, C₄H₂, C₆H₂, C₆H₆, and HCN. Benzene is detected towards two sources, bringing up to three the total number of Galactic post-AGBs where this molecule has been detected. In addition, we report evidence for the possible detection of other hydrocarbon molecules like HC₃N, CH₃C₂H, and CH₃ in several of these sources. The available IRAM 30m data confirm that the central stars are C-rich - in despite of the presence of O-rich masers - and the presence of high velocity molecular outflows together with extreme AGB mass-loss rates (∼âƒ'10^-4 M_☉/yr). Our observations confirm the polymerization model of Cernicharo [1] that predicts a rich photochemistry in the neutral regions of these objects on timescales shorter than the dynamical evolution of the central HII region, leading to the formation of small C-rich molecules and a transitory O-rich chemistry. (paper)