90GHz obs. of high-mass star-forming regions

From MALT90 data, we measure the integrated intensities of the N_2_H^+^, HCO^+^, HCN and HNC(1-0) lines, and derive the column densities and abundances of N_2_H^+^ and HCO^+^. The Herschel dust temperatures increase as a function of the IR-based Spitzer evolutionary classification scheme, with the youngest clumps being the coldest, which gives confidence that this classification method provides a reliable way to assign evolutionary stages to clumps.

Both N_2_H^+^ and HCO^+^ abundances increase as a function of evolutionary stage, whereas the N_2_H^+^(1-0) to HCO^+^(1-0) integrated intensity ratios show no discernable trend. The HCN(1-0) to HNC(1-0) integrated intensity ratios show marginal evidence of an increase as the clumps evolve.