PN abundances

Plasma diagnostics have been performed by making use of the available forbidden line ratios combined with radio continuum measurements. Chemical abundances of He, O, N, Ne, S, Ar, and Cl are then derived by employing theoretical nebular models as interpolation devices in establishing the ionization correction factors (ICFs) used to estimate the distribution of atoms among unobserved ionization stages.

The overall agreement between the results derived by using the model-ICFs and those obtained from the theoretical models is reasonably good. The uncertainties related to the total abundances show a clear dependence on the level of excitation. In most cases, the abundances of chlorine can be derived only in objects with a relatively high Cl-abundance.