A classical nova outburst arises from a thermonuclear runaway in the hydrogen-rich
material accreted onto the surface of a white dwarf in a binary system. These explosions
can produce copious amounts of heavy element enriched material that are ejected violently
into the surrounding interstellar medium. In some novae, conditions in the ejecta are
suitable for the formation of dust of various compositions, including silicates, amorphous
carbon, silicon carbide, and hydrocarbons. Multiple dust grain types are sometimes
produced in the same system. CO formation in novae may not reach saturation, thus
invalidating the usual paradigm in which the C:O ratio determines the dust species. A few
novae, such as V705 Cas and DZ Cru, have exhibited emission features near 6, 8, and 11
μmthat are similar to “Unidentified Infrared” (UIR) features, but with
significant differences in position and band structure. Here, we present Spitzer
IRS spectra of two recent dusty novae, V2361 Cyg and V2362 Cyg, that harbor
similar peculiar emission structures superimposed on features arising from carbonaceous
grains. In other astronomical objects, such as star forming regions and young stellar
objects, emission peaks at 6.2, 7.7, and 11.3 μmhave been associated with
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) complexes. We suggest that hydrogenated amorphous
carbon (HAC) may be the source of these features in novae based upon the spectral behavior
of the emission features and the conditions under which the dust formed.