Using deuterated H3+ and other molecular species to understand the
  formation of stars and planets
  The H3+ ion plays a key role in the chemistry of dense interstellar gas
clouds where stars and planets are forming. The low temperatures and high
extinctions of such clouds make direct observations of H3+ impossible, but lead
to large abundances of H2D+ and D2H+ which are very useful probes of the early
stages of star and planet formation. Maps of H2D+ and D2H+ pure rotational line
emission toward star-forming regions show that the strong deuteration of H3+ is
the result of near-complete molecular depletion of CNO-bearing molecules onto
grain surfaces, which quickly disappears as cores warm up after stars have
formed.
  In the warmer parts of interstellar gas clouds, H3+ transfers its proton to
other neutrals such as CO and N2, leading to a rich ionic chemistry. The
abundances of such species are useful tracers of physical conditions such as
the radiation field and the electron fraction. Recent observations of HF line
emission toward the Orion Bar imply a high electron fraction, and we suggest
that observations of OH+ and H2O+ emission may be used to probe the electron
density in the nuclei of external galaxies.
