The NGC 7538 region - The distribution and dynamics of molecules compared with those of HI and H/+/

CO maps and preliminary H2S and H2CO data for the molecular cloud associated with the HII region NGC 7538 are compared with the distributions of ionized and neutral hydrogen. South of the optical HII region is a ridge of high (C-13)O column density with cold, self-absorbed HI gas just beyond it. A dense clump within thy ridge is found adjacent to the HII region in the southeast. The percentage of the hydrogen in atomic form varies from approximately 0.1% in the dense region to approximately 0.8% in the outskirts. The lower-density region of expanding gas seen next to the HII region in the southwest is attributed to the passage of a molecular dissociation wave.