IUE Observations of the Gaseous Component of the Local Interstellar Medium

Discovery of interstellar Ge, Ga, and Kr is reported. Several intercombination lines of Fe 2 are detected. The depletion is most pronounced in Ca, Ti, and V. The highly ionized gas C 4 and Si 4 is not co-extensive with the Si 2 and C 2 gas nor with the O 6 gas. The molecular gas (CO) shows very small velocity dispersion (b approximately 1 km/sec). HD 149404 has the richest interstellar spectrum (except molecules) of all the stars in this study. HD 147889, the heavily obscured star in the Rho Oph cloud, has the strongest interstellar CO spectrum. Noisy nature of the spectra precludes detection of other molecules.