NEW DETECTIONS OF HNC IN PLANETARY NEBULAE: EVOLUTION OF THE [HCN]/[HNC] RATIO

New detections of HNC have been made toward 11 planetary nebulae (PNe), including K4-47, K3-58, K3-17, M3-28, and M4-14. These sources, which represent a wide range of ages and morphologies, had previously been observed in HCN by Schmidt & Ziurys. Measurements of the J = 1 -> 0 and J = 3 -> 2 transitions of HNC near 90 and 271 GHz were conducted using the new 12 m and the Sub-Millimeter Telescope of the Arizona Radio Observatory. HCN and HNC were also identified via their J = 1 -> 0 lines toward eight positions across the Helix Nebula (NGC 7293). Column densities for HNC, determined from radiative transfer modeling, were N-tot(HNC) similar to (0.06-4.0) x 10(13) cm(-2), corresponding to fractional abundances with respect to H-2 of f similar to (0.02-1.4) x 10(-7). The HCN and HNC column densities across the Helix were found to be N-tot (HCN) similar to (0.2-2.4). x. 10(12) cm(-2) and Ntot (HNC) similar to (0.07-1.6). x. 1012 cm(-2), with fractional abundances of (0.2-3.2) x 10(-7) and (0.09-2.2) x 10(-7). The [ HCN]/[ HNC] ratio varied between similar to 1-8 for all PNe, with [ HCN]/[ HNC] similar to 1-4 across the Helix. These values are greatly reduced from what has been found in asymptotic giant branch stars, where the ratio is typically > 100. Both the abundance of HNC and the [ HCN]/[ HNC] ratio do not appear to vary significantly with nebular age across a time span of similar to 10,000 years, in contrast to predictions of chemical models. The increase in HNC appears to arise in the proto-planetary stage, but becomes " frozen" once the PN phase is reached.