Whatever one's stance on the "demotion" of Pluto from planet to dwarf planet, the controversy helped to make the public better aware that the solar system is populated with a lot more than the planets, their satellites, and the occasional comet or meteorite. The solar system is scattered with countless smaller objects, many of which are large enough to be tracked, numbered, and sometimes named. Each category of object has its particular properties and stories to tell. Molecules have been detected on a number of these objects, and this bibliography exists to enumerate them.

For basic background, see the Wikipedia articles on minor planets and Trans-Neptunian Objects. For technical information, visit the Minor Planet Center. For a reasoned take on the Pluto controversy, I suggest the short article by David Jewitt and Jane X. Luu that can be accessed here.

In each group, objects are ordered by year of discovery. Some objects fall into more than one category or have changed character because they are, after all, dynamic objects moving through the Solar System subjected to the gravitational influences of the Sun as well as Jupiter and the other giant planets. Oterma was discovered as a comet in 1943; its orbit has been altered by several close encounters with Jupiter, shifting it in and out of Centaur classification (see the Wikikpedia article and the paper by Pinto et al. reporting the discovery of CO₂ for more information).

Minor planets are given provisional designations (e.g., 1997 CU₂₆ for Chariklo) and numbered when their identification is secured by accurate knowledge of their orbits. If they prove to be of greater interest, they are given names.

Molecules detected on planetoids are usually in the form of ices/solids, although some species have been detected in the gas phase (g), as noted. Reported non-detections (nd) are also listed.

Key to icons:
	Wikipedia entry
	NASA information page