Observations of a high-excitation transition of SO in galactic H II regions

High-excitation observations of the 56-45 transition of SO at 251 GHz have been made. The central four arcminutes of the Orion-KL region have been mapped and a survey of 6 other galactic sources has been performed. Detailed chemical kinetic models have been utilised to investigate the chemistry of sulphur in view of recent estimates of sulphur depletion and the possibility of a gas phase carbon to oxygen ratio greater than 1. The authors find a link between the SO/SO2 and C/O ratios and that their data are consistent with the high CI abundance detected in the Orion ridge component. In the plateau source the enhanced abundances of SO and SO2 may be caused by a molecular outflow from an oxygen-rich star. In addition a previously undetected methanol line and an unidentified line appear in the Orion data