The relationship between morphology, chemistry, and clumpiness in planetary nebulae

The study of molecular clumps in planetary nebulae (PNe) is vital to our understanding of the material returned to the interstellar medium during the later stages of intermediate-mass stars. The origin of these molecular clumps remains a mystery. The different hypothesis of the origins of clumps fall into one of two categories: a) formed during the PN phase, b) formed during the AGB phase. Our goal is to constrain the origins and future of cometary knots. Developing an understanding of knot morphology, morphology of planetary nebulae, and the chemistry of the star. From a starting sample of 108 PNe, we gather a multitude of data as well as developed a method of quantifying the ellipticity and bipolarity of the PN. We will use the data to determine a relationship between the morphology, chemistry and clumpiness in PNe. Observing small- and large-scale structures in planetary nebulae (PNe) can help to better understand the survival of molecules in harsh environments and the impact that dust has on the formation of PNe.