ATCA Survey of Sagittarius B2 at 7mm

We analyze the spectra towards three HII regions that have foreground molecular gas in Sgr B2. Towards the most line-dense region, we detect >500 spectral line components, >90% of which are assigned to H and He recombination lines and 53 firmly identified molecular species (not including isotopologues).

The data reveal extremely subthermally excited molecular gas in Sgr B2 absorbing against the continuum background, as well as molecular line emission from two hot cores in Sgr B2(N). They also also contain line-of-sight absorption by ~15 molecules observed in translucent gas in the Galactic Center, bar, and intervening spiral arm clouds, revealing the complex chemistry and clumpy structure of this gas. Formamide (NH_2_CHO) is detected for the first time in a translucent cloud.