Discovery of the first Ca-bearing molecule in space: CaNC
  We report on the detection of calcium isocyanide, CaNC, in the carbon-rich
evolved star IRC+10216. We derived a column density for this species of
(2.0$\pm$0.5)$\times$10$^{11}$ cm$^{-2}$. Based on the observed line profiles
and the modelling of its emission through the envelope, the molecule has to be
produced in the intermediate and outer layers of the circumstellar envelope
where other metal-isocyanides have previously been found in this source. The
abundance ratio of CaNC relative to MgNC and FeCN is $\simeq$1/60 and
$\simeq$1, respectively. We searched for the species CaF, CaCl, CaC, CaCCH, and
CaCH$_3$ for which accurate frequency predictions are available. Only upper
limits have been obtained for these molecules.
