Gas phase reaction kinetics at very low temperatures: recent advances on carbon chemistry using the CRESU technique

The review describes briefly the chemistry of interstellar clouds and focusses on how bimolecular neutral–neutral reactions may influence its evolution. Experimental techniques that give information on the reactivity and the dynamics of these processes are presented with a special attention to the CRESU (Cinétique de Réaction en Ecoulement Supersonique Uniforme) technique, which is the only one able to deliver rate coefficients at very low temperatures for reactions between two neutral partners. Recent advances concerning the reactivity of carbon-bearing molecules are described in more detail with a special attention to the reaction kinetics of C₂ and C₄H with small stable hydrocarbons.