Oxygen depletion in dense molecular clouds: a clue to a low O<sub>2</sub>abundance?
Oxygen depletion in dense molecular clouds: a clue to a low O<sub>2</sub>abundance?
Context: Dark cloud chemical models usually predict large amounts of O2, often above observational limits. Aims: We investigate the reason for this discrepancy from a theoretical point of view, inspired by the studies of Jenkins and Whittet on oxygen depletion. Methods: We use the gas-grain code Nautilus with an up-to-date …